The City of Antioch Council finds and declares as follows:
(A) The vast majority of alarms to which the Police Department responds are false alarms and are reported to the police by alarm companies.
(B) Most false alarms are the result of improper maintenance or improper or careless use of an alarm system.
(C) The public and police officers are subjected to needless danger when the officers are called to respond to false alarms.
(D) Officers responding to false alarms are not available to carry out other police duties.
(E) In the interest of using limited police resources most effectively and efficiently, the number of false alarms can and must be reduced.
(F) The purpose of this chapter is to reduce the dangers and inefficiencies associated with false alarms and to encourage alarm companies and property owners to maintain the operational reliability, properly use alarm systems, and to reduce or eliminate false alarm dispatch requests.
(G) This chapter governs systems intended to summon a police response, establishes fees and fines, establishes a system of administration, sets conditions for the suspension of a police response and establishes a public education and training program.
(Ord. 2161-C-S, passed 2-26-19)