posted on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 10:21 AM
by
klehan
Bradenton, FL, to Charge $100 for 2nd False Alarm Now
In a move to reduce police time spent answering false alarms, the Bradenton, FL, City Council agreed to charge a $100 fine the second time police respond to a false alarm.
More than 3,000 times each year, police answer false alarms caused by faulty home and business security systems. More than 500 of those calls are second false alarms, and another 500 are third false alarms.
There are at least 50 places where police have answered false alarms 10 or more times within a year.
"It's costing us hundreds of man hours," Chief Michael Radzilowski said Wednesday. "... We're the ones paying the price for it."
Previously, a fine did not take effect until the fourth false alarm.
Councilman Patrick Roff and Radzilowski said the goal is to get violators to replace faulty systems. Property owners will not be fined if an alarm is triggered by a storm or other "act of nature," Radzilowski said.