The police chief in Milwaukee says verified response has
been a success, but left open the possibility that she
would consider dropping the policy if the city would hire
more officers. Police Chief Nannette Hegerty presented a
six-month status report on Milwaukee’s verified response
policy to Milwaukee Common Council Committee on March 3.
The new policy – where police won’t respond to a burglar
alarm unless it has been verified by the alarm company – HREF=t_ci_newsView.cfm?nid=1877&arch=0>went into effect on
Sept. 19. According to the Milwaukee Journal-
Sentinel, Hegerty says the policy has resulted in
better response time and told the committee it will remain
in place.
However, she also told the aldermen that she would consider
returning to the old alarm policy of immediately responding
to all burglar alarms if there were 1,500 officers on her
force. Currently, the department has 1,381 officers.
The meeting was not open to public comment, though alarm
company representatives still attended the meeting. An
official from Brink’s Security Systems told the Journal-
Sentinel that it has seen a 260-percent increase in
break-ins over the past six months compared to the same
period a year earlier – From five to 13 break-ins.
Note: A Wisconsin state senator has introduced a
bill that would make mandatory police response to burglar
alarms in the state.
Click here for the
story.
In other false alarm news …
BELLEVUE, Wash.: Police in Bellevue, Wash., have doubled the fines for excessive false alarms.
While a first false alarm will remain “free,” a second false alarm in a six-month period will now cost $75, a third $100, a fourth $125, a fifth $150 and the sixth $200 according to the Seattle Times.
The fines in the city near Seattle take effect immediately.
LAMBERTVILLE, N.J.:In a unanimous vote, the city council in the border city, located 45 miles north of Philadelphia, has approved stiff fines for multiple false fire alarms, with a $250 fine for the second false alarm in a calendar year.
The Beacon reports an attempt to pass the ordinance last fall failed after public dissent, but passed Feb. 22 after talks between the city, firefighters and business leaders.
The fine is doubled to $500 for a third false alarm and each one thereafter.
