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Information from police department on proposed false alarm ordinanceSource: Police departmentOn Monday, March 15, 2010, at 7:30 the El Cerrito City Council will convene a public hearing regarding enactment of a False Alarm Ordinance introduced by the El Cerrito Police Department. The El Cerrito Police Department averages over sixteen hundred (1600) responses per year to false alarms. If adopted, the proposed False Alarm ordinance will mandate requirements designed to reduce the time that the Police Department spends responding to and investigating false alarms. This has averaged out to nearly twelve hundred (1200) hours annually to investigate false alarms. Some of the changes proposed by the False Alarm ordinance include: a requirement for alarm users to register their alarms with the Police Department, thereby giving the police current information as to how to contact alarm users when their alarms sound. Alarm companies will be required to instruct alarm users on how to operate their alarms properly. Alarm companies will also be required to try to contact the alarm user before calling the police when an alarm is sounded. The proposed ordinance will also specifically prohibit certain alarm systems that are prone to triggering false alarms. These methods and others have been determined by experience in other jurisdictions to reduce the number of false alarms reported to law enforcement. The Police Department’s response to alarms caused by criminal activity will not be affected in any way. The proposed ordinance will only address false alarms. The new ordinance establishes a registration/permit fee (renewed bi-annually) for residential and commercial properties and fees to cover responses to repeated false alarms. The ordinance also establishes a fine for unpermitted alarm systems causing a false alarm. The ordinance is very similar to ordinances currently in the Municipal Codes of many cities in the region. A web page is under construction that will provide additional information and resources for community members. Residents and business owners would have 90 days from adoption to register their existing alarm system. Questions can be directed to Robert De La Campa, Administrative Lieutenant (510) 215-4415 or rdelacampa@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us Run dates: 2010-03-14 - 2010-03-20 |
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