posted on Monday, April 12, 2010 3:23 PM
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Sioux Falls, SD, Considers Fining for False Alarms
Sioux Falls, SD, residents and business owners with burglar alarms would pay a yearly fee if the Sioux Falls City Council passes a new set of rules proposed by the police department.
Homeowners and businesspeople responsible for more than two false alarms per year could face hundreds of dollars in fines. But some business owners say they should not be penalized for false alarms that are beyond their control.
The Sioux Falls, SD, City Council will debate the measure, which is designed to cut down on the staggering number of yearly false calls, Sioux Falls Police Chief Doug Barthel said recently.
In 2009, police department responded to 2,200 alarm calls, and 99 percent were false.
"We average about six and a half of these things a day, and frankly, they're almost never legitimate," Barthel said.
At least two officers respond to each alarm call, Officer Greg Schmidt said, sometimes waiting hours for owners to return. About two-thirds of the false alarm calls come from businesses; the rest come from homes.
"It takes officers off the street for what could be a balloon floating around in a business," he said. "It's not the best way to use our resources."
Alarm owners ultimately are responsible for false alarms, however, and a third false alarm call in one year would result in a $100 fine. Each false alarm after that is a $200 fine.
Residential alarm owners would pay $25 a year for a permit under the new proposal. Businesses would pay $35 a year.
Sioux Falls resident Coralea Schoenfelder said Wednesday that she wouldn't mind paying a yearly fee to license her alarm system, but only if the money generated were used to the direct benefit of the police and fire departments.
"I'd want to know that the money goes to them and doesn't end up somewhere else," Schoenfelder said.
As far as false alarm fines go, she trusts her alarm company to help prevent unnecessary police deployments. Her company calls her before calling the police or fire department, which she appreciates. The system doesn't miss much.
Her 17-year-old son once set off the alarm while sneaking back into the house, she said, and her smoke alarm has gone off while she's in the kitchen.