With a 60-day delay in its implementation now lapsing, Los
Angeles is beginning limited verified response to burglar
alarms. Los Angeles police officers will no longer respond
to unverified burglar alarm calls at an address that has
had two or more false alarms within a year.
Officers will only respond if the alarm has been verified
by someone at the location or through remote electronic
visual inspection. When verification cannot be obtained,
the call will be broadcast over the police radio, allowing
patrol units to respond to the alarm call if and when they
are available. Robbery and panic alarms are not affected by
the new policy.
The new policy – which was a compromise from a more-
stringent plan that would have enacted verified response
for all burglar alarms – had been scheduled to go into
effect Nov. 1 but was
delayed by the
LAPD after the Los
Angeles City Council expressed concerns the public had not
been made aware enough of the new policy.
Daniel R. Koenig, executive director of the Los Angeles
Police Commission, sent out a letter to alarm companies
Dec. 2 asking them to “notify their customers of these
changes as soon as possible.” The council did not make any
move to further delay the Jan. 1 implementation of the
policy.
