An overflow crowd of 200 home and business owners crowded the main public library in Fremont, Calif., to hear the city’s police chief explain his department’s new verified response policy. Police Chief Craig Steckler faced some hostility from the crowd, which was so large that some of the audience was spilled over into an adjoining room, according to the Argus newspaper.

Steckler announced Jan. 20 that as of Feb. 18, police will no longer respond to burglar alarms unless a resident, property owner or alarm company employee will be able to show evidence that a crime occurred, such as glass breakage or seeing a suspicious person.

Ron Walters, the legislative coordinator for the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC), spoke at the Feb. 4 community forum and criticized the short time alarm companies have been given to implement the new policy.
“It sure seems like they are in a big hurry,” Walters said, according to the Argus. “Obviously, the shorter period of time allowed for policy to go into effect, the less public comment and controversy there will be.”

After facing several comments from the public critical of the new policy, Steckler said he was “flexible” and willing to give alarm companies an extension beyond the Feb. 18 date. However, Steckler answered the critics by saying police department resources are being drained by what he says are excessive responses to false alarms.

“People keep saying you need to run the department like a business,” Steckler, who revealed he has an alarm system at his own home, said. “I’m downsizing, and you’re crucifying me. You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.”

Another topic of conversation was a burglary of 31 guns the day before in Fremont the provoked a police response to a burglar alarm. Police responded to a burglar alarm at a gun store early Feb. 2 to find the front glass door smashed, the padlock to an interior door cut, and the glass display cases broken open according to the Associated Press.

The store’s owner has publicly criticized the new policy for contributing to the crime. However, a police spokesman says the policy was not yet in effect and added that the gun store would have still received police response if the policy were in place. He says officers will continue to respond to panic, duress, medical and armed-robbery alarm calls.

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