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Tuesday,
June 13th - Sheriff's Department To Implement
Alarm Policy...
Larimer County
Sheriff’s Office will soon implement a new
program which should reduce the number of false
alarm activations and ensuing deputy responses.
In recent
years, false alarms accounted for approximately
99.6% of all alarms to which deputies had to
respond. False alarms are not only expensive but
also divert law enforcement resources from real
emergencies. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office
believes those who actually have alarms should be
the ones to foot the bill instead of the general
taxpayer.
Other
communities have had great success reducing the
number of false alarms when they require alarms to
be registered and assess cost recovery for false
alarms. Cities using this system have reduced the
number of false alarms by as much as 70% in one
year after implementing an alarm registration
system.
Larimer County
residents and businesses are now required to
register their monitored alarm system and should
be receiving notices for payment of their annual
registration fees. The initial registration fee is
$50 with a renewal fee of $25 for each year
thereafter. The initial registration period begins
June 26, 2006. For alarm systems installed prior
to June 26, 2006, the first registration fee will
be valid for the period ending July 31, 2007.
Fines for false alarms will be assessed beginning
July 15, 2006, on a tiered system.
The first
instance of a false alarm will not incur a charge.
In the case of repeated false alarms (two or
more), a series of graduated fines will be charged
to the alarm user, ranging from $50 to $200 for
each violation. Repeated false alarms (five
or more) will result in being added to the “Do
Not Respond” list which means Sheriff’s
deputies will no longer respond to the alarm
location. Proof will then have to be provided that
the alarm has been fixed. Failing to register an
alarm could result in a $100 fine.
A percentage
of the money generated by the fines will pay for a
third party to administer the program.
Registration and management of this system will be
handled by AOT Public Safety Corporation of
Waldorf, Maryland.
The majority
of false alarms are triggered by user error. The
Larimer County Sheriff’s Office urges homeowners
and businesses to prevent false alarms by
reviewing passwords with family members and
employees. It further urges alarm users to review
how to turn your system on and off and to make
sure the alarm system is in good working order.
Alarm users
will be contacted by their alarm company with more
details. The full alarm security ordinance can be
found via the link provided below.
New
County Alarm Policy
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