The City Council finds and declares that:
(A) There is increasing use of private emergency alarm systems by citizens of this city;
(B) Over 95 percent of alarms generated by private alarm systems are listed as false alarms by responding authorities;
(C) The Albuquerque Police Department spends more than 50,000 hours annually, equivalent to 27 full-time sworn officers or about $3 million per year responding to false alarms;
(D) Police and Fire Department responses to false alarms provide an extra public safety service that benefits only those individuals who own alarm systems;
(E) Alarm users and the general public are harmed by excessive numbers of false alarms, because excessive false alarms divert Public Safety Officers from other potentially critical duties and constitute a nuisance that must be abated;
(F) Fees to reimburse the City for the costs of responding to excessive false alarms are justified because these false alarms divert limited public safety resources;
(G) The Fire Department recognizes the value of fire and medical alarms and will respond accordingly to investigate, suppress fire propagation, address life safety issues, and provide medical treatment to fulfill the needs of the public; however, these services are not used effectively when fire personnel must respond to locations with excessive numbers of false alarms;
(H) Businesses with excessive false fire alarms are subject to reinspection of their fire suppression, fire alarm system and facilities by the Fire Marshal's Office;
(I) Certain records are necessary to locate the persons in control of a property when the police have been notified by an alarm of an actual burglary or other emergency and need access to the property or when an audible alarm system is malfunctioning so as to cause a nuisance to the neighbors and other persons in the proximity of the alarm;
(J) Fees and fines may not be sufficient inducement for alarm system installation and repair businesses and alarm system monitoring businesses to comply with this Ordinance; therefore, alarm system installation and repair businesses and alarm system monitoring businesses that engage in a pattern of violations under this Ordinance should be subject to suspension and revocation of their alarm business permits.
(Ord. 8-2003)