Security Alarm Systems in Clearwater, Fla., Must Now Be Registered With Police

Amendments to the city’s security alarm system ordinance reflect the adoption of a new digital accounting system, along with modification to a fee payment schedule.

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Residents and business owners here are now required to register their security alarm systems with the police department, following revisions to a city ordinance.

Clearwater Police Chief Dan Slaughter appeared before the Clearwater City Council on March 12 to seek approval for the amendments to the ordinance. The city now requires that all residents and business owners who have a security alarm system to register with the police department, tbnweekly.com reports. For the past two decades, the police department had handled all permits and registrations manually.

“But now with the 20,000-plus customers we have in the city of Clearwater, the time has come for us to digitize and bring it up to date with current standards and current common practices,” Slaughter told council members.

The police department hired a Web developer to create a new system for the city to meet these needs, Slaughter said. The system will allow the department to manage the online registry and oversee the issuance of citations and to receive payments.

Changes to the ordinance reflect the adoption of the new digital system, the discontinuance of stickers which were given alarm system owners, and modification to the fee payment schedule, the website report. Citation payments are now required to be made within 30 days rather than 15 and the implementation of an escalating fee schedule.

“Where in the past we gave one free alarm per year, and then after that it was a $50 fine, now there will be an escalating scale,” Slaughter said, referring to when an officer responds to an alarm and it is later determined to be a false alarm.

According to Slaughter, there will be no fine for the first violation, but second through fifth violations will be $50 apiece, and six or more alarms would cost $100 per incident.

Should an alarm system owner not register their system with the police department and officers should respond to a break in at their home or business, they would be issued a $50 citation. However, that citation could be waived should the owner choose to register with the police department, the website reports.

Those owners who already have a valid permit and registration will be entered into the system by department personnel and need not reapply, unless changes to their systems have been made, Slaughter said.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!

Security Is Our Business, Too

For professionals who recommend, buy and install all types of electronic security equipment, a free subscription to Commercial Integrator + Security Sales & Integration is like having a consultant on call. You’ll find an ideal balance of technology and business coverage, with installation tips and techniques for products and updates on how to add to your bottom line.

A FREE subscription to the top resource for security and integration industry will prove to be invaluable.

Subscribe Today!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Our Newsletters