BATON ROUGE, La. — After reportedly responding to 21,677 false alarms last year, the police department here has proposed amending the city’s alarm ordinance to allow for increased fines.
The Baton Rouge Police Department responded to 22,347 burglar alarms at homes and businesses in 2011; however, only 670 calls were valid, reports The Advocate. Police said the false alarms could have resulted from faulty and antiquated equipment.
Under the current ordinance, there is no fine until the sixth false alarm, which costs $10. The proposal suggests allowing three free false alarms before enforcing the fines, which would range from $25 for the fourth to $200 for the 11th false alarm.
The department modeled the proposal after the city of Shreveport’s (La.) ordinance. Since the ordinance’s implementation, which hiked up fees to $500 for the seventh violation, Shreveport has seen a dramatic decline in false alarms. In 2006, 85% of the city’s alarm calls were false; today, 57% of them are false.
Additionally, Shreveport police fine alarm companies $100 for every false alarm caused by faulty installation or system service.
