Drunk Man Arrested After Deliberately Setting Off Own Alarm a Dozen Times

Police arrested an intoxicated man who claims he set off his burglar alarm a dozen times in two hours because of a dispute with Comcast.

TAUNTON, Mass. — A major point of contention that has been a hot topic in the security industry the past couple of years is who should pay for false alarms.

Some areas increase false alarm fees for nuisance alarm offenders, while others require alarm companies to bill, collect and foot the cost for alarm-user fines.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, the one thing that everyone can likely agree on is that false alarms are a huge waste of time and resources for law enforcement.

Meet Edward Adams. The 50-year old man deliberately set his burglar alarm off a dozen times within two hours last week because he was upset with Comcast over a dispute he claimed cost him $3,000, according to police.

According to an incident report obtained by WPRI, the alarm company stated they contacted Edward Adams and said he seemed “disoriented” and “unable to provide substantial information.”

Police dispatched an officer to Adams’ apartment building each time the alarm went off, only to find the exterior was secure. The officer was was unable to make contact with any of the residents.

After another alarm activation just before 10 p.m., police decided to perform a well-being check on Adams, according to the report. When officers arrived, they were unable to make contact with Adams until they gained access to the building through a door on the lower level.

Police told Adams, who appeared intoxicated, that if they were dispatched to his apartment again he would be arrested, according to the report. Police said Adams acknowledged the instructions and apologized to the responding officers.

Is that the end of the story? Of course not. After once again returning due to an alarm activation, the responding officer determined Adams needed to be placed in protective custody due to his intoxication, irrational behavior and the fact that he was home alone.

Moral of the story? Everyone hates their cable company, but that doesn’t give you the right to get drunk and waste valuable law enforcement time and resources.

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About the Author

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Steven A. Karantzoulidis is the Web Editor for Security Sales & Integration. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in Communication and has a background in Film, A/V and Social Media.

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