LOS ANGELES — Since implementing an alarm ordinance eight years ago, false alarms have decreased by nearly 60% in the city of Los Angeles, reports LA Daily News.
Last year, the Los Angeles Police Department fielded 42,000 false dispatch calls compared to 102,000 in 2003. The city implemented an ordinance in 2004, requiring verification on a third alarm call at a location that had two false dispatches in the same year. Additionally, the municipality charged increasing fines that can reach $351.
Alarm owners must initially pay $35 for a city permit, then $30 a year. Having a permit cuts the cost of a false alarm fine by $100 to $150. Additionally, false alarm violators can waive the first fine by taking an online alarm school class.
