posted on Monday, August 17, 2009 11:33 AM
by
klehan
LaMirda, CA, Looks to Reduce False Alarms
LaMirda, CA, officials are looking for a way to reduce the number of false burglary alarms and are considering establishing a program to require those with alarms to get a permit.
"It would enable us to have information and determine whether it was a false alarm or something was going on at the home," said Anne Haraksin, assistant to the city manager.
City staff are also looking at fees charged for false alarms and whether to adjust them upward.
Right now you don't get charged for a false alarm until the third incident. The cost for a third false alarm is $50, $100 for a fourth and $200 for a fifth or more.
False alarms are a real problem, City Manager Tom Robinson said.
"Each time, you're calling out a car with two deputies to check out the situation," Robinson said. "We'd like to get better control of that."
On average, deputies spend 17.5 minutes responding to an alarm call, according to a city staff report. And that costs La Mirada $32.90 for each deputy, the report stated.
Councilman Gabe Garcia, who also is a reserve police officer for the city of Orange, said he knows why false alarms happen.
"People set the alarm and forget when somebody enters or they don't remember the code," he said.
Officers going to the site can't just assume that it's a false alarm, he said. Garcia said he likes the idea of the burglary alarm permit process.
"It's a means of accountability on residents and businesses," he said.
If there is some kind of personal accountability, it will force all with alarms to make sure they work right, so that air conditioning or something else doesn't set them off, he said.
The proposed burglar alarm permit would cost $30. It might raise around $20,000 annually.
As part of the application, business owners and residents would be required to provide the name of their alarm company, its current phone number, and an emergency contact who can respond to the location within 30 minutes.
Ed Corpus, owner of Advanced Alarm Inc. in Santa Fe Springs that sells alarm systems, said the city's idea is probably a good one.
"It makes people more responsible for their alarms," he said.