PRESCOTT, Ariz. — With this city’s police department reporting it responds to about 3,000 false alarms each year, the city council unanimously approved a new alarm ordinance.
Prescott residents using private security systems will face fines in $100 increments after two false alarm warnings, reports The Daily Courier. The new law takes effect July 1.
In summer 2010, Prescott police officers raised the issue of needing an alarm ordinance, citing that most of the false alarms they responded to were the result of faulty systems, outdated installation or user error. The goal of the new law is to keep officers on the street to prevent crime, rather than responding to false dispatches.
A current part-time temporary police employee will serve as the city’s alarm coordinator. In that role, the employee will build a database to track false alarms.
The city council will receive an update on the ordinance after a one-year period.
Source: The Daily Courier
