posted on Thursday, April 24, 2008 10:43 AM
by
klehan
Colorado Springs (CO) Looking at Enhanced Call Verification
When you are in the middle of a life-threatening emergency, how long do you think it will take Springs Police to get to you? Right now, it’s about 10 minutes on average. Cops said more and more, their resources are being tied-up in answering false alarms.
On April 23, 2008, police spoke at a meeting about changing the city ordinance. They want tougher rules on homeowners and businesses whose alarms go off, but when police respond, there's no emergency.
The proposed ordinance could mean steeper fines and implementing a yearly fee for all alarm users.
Police would also stop responding to every alarm. "It’s called Enhanced Call Verification. That would require alarm companies to call two numbers, like your home and your cell to verify if you want police to respond. If it’s a false alarm, it saves the user from a fee and it saves the officer from having to respond," said Deputy Chief Ron Gibson with Springs Police.
City Council has to approve this ordinance. That could happen sometime in June.
The last time the city cracked down on false alarms, police saw a 50 percent drop.