Studies have consistently shown that 98% of the alarms to which police respond are false. The major cause of false alarms is user error, usually either opening or closing errors, and improper maintenance. Each alarm response requires a minimum of two patrol officers and averages 15 minutes per officer, per alarm. This equates to hundreds of hours of City Police Department time diverted away from actual police work. These false alarms negatively influence the overall safety of the community, leaving officers with diminished time to respond to actual emergencies.
(Ord. 2019-11, passed 4-13-2020)