Palm Beach Sees 30% Decrease
Palm Beach County has shown a significant reduction in false dispatches following the instatement of a Florida law governing burglar alarm response. The law calls for state dispatchers to use Enhanced Call Verification (ECV), the practice of calling two phone numbers before dispatching police to an alarm. As a result, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department reduced its dispatches from 12,712 between October-December 2005 to 8,802 during the same time frame in 2006.
Knoxville Institutes ECV Requirement
The Knoxville, Tenn., City Council has unanimously approved a new law that punishes property owners with alarm systems that send out repeated false alarms. The ordinance will require alarm users to register with the city and institute Enhanced Call Verification (ECV) for intrusion dispatches. Residents and businesses will not be allowed more than two false dispatches in a 12-month period. Subsequent violations will be punishable by a $25 fine.
Austin Now Begins to Fine at 3 False Alarms Austin, Texas, homeowners will face being hit with harsher fines for false alarms on home security systems, according to a newspaper report. A 2005 state law allowed cities to increase fines for false burglar alarms, and Austin started charging slightly larger fines three months ago, according to the American-Statesman. Homeowners can now be charged $50 for four or five false alarms in a year, $75 for six or seven, and $100 for eight or more, the newspaper reports.
