A. The purpose of this chapter is to encourage residential and commercial alarm users to assume increased responsibility for maintaining the mechanical reliability and the proper use of intrusion alarm systems, to prevent unnecessary police emergency response to false alarms and protect the emergency response capability of the City. A study of alarm responses for the City of Catoosa indicated that false alarms are caused almost exclusively by either human failure to use the system properly or mechanical failure resulting from malfunction or poor design. By coming to the understanding that, other than actual criminal activity, there is no valid reason for an alarm to activate, the police can better target responses to crime.
B. This chapter draws a distinction between police response to requests by individual persons and police response to requests made by mechanical devices. It is the policy of the City of Catoosa Police Department to respond to valid requests for service. Nothing in this chapter lessens or increases that responsibility. It is also understood that many requests for service to mechanical activations are not valid calls for service and the resident does not want the police to respond. (Ord. 2023-437-C, 5-8-2023)