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A year-old law that cracks down on false home security alarms is working.
New Castle County Police said there were 25 percent fewer false alarms calls in the last 12 months than in previous years, which has freed up officers to respond to more serious calls.
Lt. Craig Weldon, who administers the department's alarm program, said there are 13,000 registered alarm systems countywide. Generally speaking, alarm companies have been responsive about fixing malfunctioning systems, Weldon said, and have made a practice of telling customers they must register their system.
"The law has made the alarm companies do their jobs," he said. "Before, they were entering into contracts with private citizens and we did the work. Now we actually have alarm companies call us to cancel alarms [they know are false]. We never had that before."
In addition to requiring registration, property owners can be fined for repeated false alarms. Fines start at $100.
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Numbers to know Alarm System Law30 days: after installation, alarms must be registered with New Castle County by calling (866) 839-2731. 2 warnings: for false alarms within 12-month period $100 fine: 3rd false alarm $200 fine: 4th false alarm $250 fine: subsequent false alarm within 12-month period* * Police can suspend response after the 5th false alarm or if fines are unpaid (Service has not been cut to anyone yet, according to police). |
To date, the county has collected $62,000 in fines, but 95 percent of that is passed on to Affiliated Computer Systems, the company which tracks and registers all the alarms. Still, the legislation was never designed to be a money-maker, said sponsor Timothy Sheldon (D-Pike Creek).
"This is probably the legislation I'm proudest of," he said. "It came out of an idea I got at a civic meeting...and it's helped us free up officers."
In 2006, the earliest year for which data is available, 97 percent of all alarms were false. That year police responded to nearly 14,000 false alarms.
That number is down by more than 3,000, but Weldon said it will be difficult to make further inroads. Models in other jurisdictions show the reductions tend to level out between 20 and 30 percent.
"If [we] never had to respond to another false alarm again, that would be ideal," he said, "Short of that, this is the best solution."
A year-old law that cracks down on false home security alarms is working.
New Castle County Police said there were 25 percent fewer false alarms calls in the last 12 months than in previous years, which has freed up officers to respond to more serious calls.
Lt. Craig Weldon, who administers the department's alarm program, said there are 13,000 registered alarm systems countywide. Generally speaking, alarm companies have been responsive about fixing malfunctioning systems, Weldon said, and have made a practice of telling customers they must register their system.
"The law has made the alarm companies do their jobs," he said. "Before, they were entering into contracts with private citizens and we did the work. Now we actually have alarm companies call us to cancel alarms [they know are false]. We never had that before."
In addition to requiring registration, property owners can be fined for repeated false alarms. Fines start at $100.
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Numbers to know Alarm System Law30 days: after installation, alarms must be registered with New Castle County by calling (866) 839-2731. 2 warnings: for false alarms within 12-month period $100 fine: 3rd false alarm $200 fine: 4th false alarm $250 fine: subsequent false alarm within 12-month period* * Police can suspend response after the 5th false alarm or if fines are unpaid (Service has not been cut to anyone yet, according to police). |
To date, the county has collected $62,000 in fines, but 95 percent of that is passed on to Affiliated Computer Systems, the company which tracks and registers all the alarms. Still, the legislation was never designed to be a money-maker, said sponsor Timothy Sheldon (D-Pike Creek).
"This is probably the legislation I'm proudest of," he said. "It came out of an idea I got at a civic meeting...and it's helped us free up officers."
In 2006, the earliest year for which data is available, 97 percent of all alarms were false. That year police responded to nearly 14,000 false alarms.
That number is down by more than 3,000, but Weldon said it will be difficult to make further inroads. Models in other jurisdictions show the reductions tend to level out between 20 and 30 percent.
"If [we] never had to respond to another false alarm again, that would be ideal," he said, "Short of that, this is the best solution."
