City Council May Sue Security Firm Over Ad Claim

LOS ANGELES
Published: May 15, 2003

The Los Angeles City Council has asked the City Attorney’s Office to consider prosecuting a security company for advertising that the police department will no longer respond to burglar alarms.

Councilman Dennis Zine led the charge against Lone Star Security and Video Inc., which he said engaged in false advertising because a sign it posted is misleading regarding the alarm response policy.

Zine said the sign is false advertising because the police commission has never implemented its policy of only allowing officers to respond to burglar alarms if they have been verified by another source. The panel agreed to first review a task force report recommending an alternative approach.

Assistant City Attorney Lauren Park said she had already begun a preliminary investigation into charging the company with false advertising, according to the Daily News. No charges will be filed if she determines that no crime has been committed.

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Councilman Nate Holden declared the alternative plan frivolous. “You [the city] don’t have a case, and the reason you don’t have a case is the commission has already taken action on false alarms. They’ve directed the police department not to respond to them,” he said.

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