SWAIN COUNTY, N.C. – The Swain County Sheriff’s Office is taking steps to cut down on false alarm dispatches that have been a burden on the sheriff’s department’s limited resources.
Effective Sept. 1, officials will issues citations and fines for residents with faulty security systems, Smoky Mountain News reports.
In 2014, officers responded to more than 1,000 security alarm calls, and the majority of them were the result of faulty alarm systems.
As part of the new ordinance, security alarm owners will receive a warning for the first false alarm. Violators would then be issued a $50 fine if deputies respond to a false alarm call at their home.
Alarm owners will also have the opportunity to appeal the citation.
With the new ordinance, the department expects residents to update their security systems to prevent false alarm dispatches.
Officials said deputies would use good judgment when enforcing the ordinance and take into consideration the elderly who may have problems working their systems.
