MODESTO, Calif. — The Modesto Police Department will no longer respond to burglar alarm calls unless they are verified as an actual emergency. This comes on the heels of several false alarm prevention efforts, including a graduated fine program and alarm-reduction classes.
According to a report in the Modesto Bee, Robert Wright, owner of 1st Security & Sound of Modesto, says that he, too, wants to reduce false alarms, “but the department’s policy punishes the wrong people.” “They need to penalize the people who are a problem and have false alarms, not everyone else,” Wright says.
Modesto police Lt. Gary Watts disagrees. He claims that the new policy will penalize the ones with false alarms. “It was those with legitimate calls who were being punished,” he says.
The new policy will not affect response generated by panic, robbery, duress and hold-up alarms. Modesto’s new verified response policy went into effect Nov. 8.
