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False Burglar Alarm Will Cost You $100 in Darien, CT

Hoping to cut down on the false police alarms, the Representative Town Meeting in Darien, CT, by a 63-0 vote with one abstention, approved an ordinance that fines residents for false alarms.

The ordinance, which encompasses both false fire and burglar alarms, replaces the fire alarm ordinance that went into effect in 2001.

“The RTM adopted a fire alarm system ordinance... which has been found to enhance public safety and substantially reduce the number of false fire alarms,” the resolution states.

“The primary objective is to reduce the excessive number of false alarms of automatic alarm systems,” said Lloyd Plehaty, whose Town, Government, Structure & Administration Committee unanimously approved the new ordinance.

At last week’s selectmen meeting, town counsel Ed Schmidt said that often, in these situations, administration duties are contracted out. The revenue from the fines would be used to pay for the outsourcing. The fire marshal’s office handles false fire alarms.

Fines garnered for false police alarms “shall be credited to a separate account to be used to improve the police service,” the ordinance states. The same goes for false fire alarms.

“The purpose of this article,” the ordinance says, “is to reduce the false alarms in town by having alarm owners take steps to prevent false alarms. These actions include installing proper equipment appropriately; operating the alarm systems to minimize false alarms; maintaining the alarm system; having monitoring companies verify false alarms; and canceling alarms that are determined to be false.”

The Board of Selectmen suggested a more stringent fine structure than the fire alarm ordinance had. A false alarm would carry with it a $100 fine for first-time offenders and $150 fine for second-time offenders. A $200 fine would be levied for the third and all subsequent false alarms.

But in the approved — and modified — ordinance, it maintains the current fine rate for false fire and police alarms, which is $100 for every false alarm.
In addition to a false alarm, $100 fines will be levied for the use of an automatic telephone dialing alarm system directly to the emergency communications center, and failure to register an alarm.

There will also be $25 fines for the use of an exterior audible alarm system except as provided in the ordinance, and failure to install or maintain an auxiliary power source as required in the ordinance.

Lastly, the failure to make timely payment of fines or charges will result in a $25 late fee plus 18 percent per year interest charge.

For police, an alarm is considered false when officers arrive at the scene, but because the three town fire departments are all volunteer, for fire alarms, it is considered false when they are dispatched.

A copy of the ordinance is posted here.