City Council Amends False Alarm Ordinance
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In their January 17, 2006 meeting the Duncanville City Council adopted an amendment to the False Alarm Ordinance.
“The new ordinance brings us in line with the new state legislation that went into effect as of September 1, 2005 ,” said Duncanville Chief of Police Jack Long .
In 2003 the Duncanville City Council first amended the ordinance that related to false alarms.
The ordinance adopted in 2003 called for a $35 annual fee for homeowners and businesses to register their alarms. Also, the ordinance regulates burglar, robbery, panic and fire alarms.
Under the new ordinance there will be a graduated penalty schedule for false alarms.
| Occurrence in a twelve-month period |
Penalty |
| First three |
No Charge |
| 4-5 |
$50.00 |
| 6-7 |
$75.00 |
| 8 or more |
$100.00 |
“The newly adopted penalty schedule allows for a graduated penalty schedule. If the homeowner or business did not pay the penalty, it will result in a class ‘c’ misdemeanor with a fine up to $500,” said Long. “The ordinance also stated that if we have notified a non-permitted location of the need for a permit, and they do not comply, the police and fire departments will no longer respond to the alarm call.”
The ordinance also states that a permit may be revoked after ten (10) false alarm calls. After that police and fire will not respond to the alarm.
“If the permit holder continues to pay the penalties after the three false alarms allowed by state law, then police and fire will continue to respond,” explained Long.
Since the ordinance was revised in 2003 to allow for collection of penalties, the Duncanville Police Department has seen a decrease in false alarms each year.
“In 2003 the ordinance was revised and we realized a 28% reduction in false alarms. That trend continued with a 9% reduction in 2004 and 2005,” said Long.
A false alarm is described as when a police officer responds to an alarm activation, and after investigation finds no evidence of criminal activity, the Officer will designate the alarm signal as a false alarm. If the alarm company contacts the police department and disregards the officers prior to their arrival then it will not be considered a false alarm.
The Duncanville Police Department has identified the following as major causes to false alarms:
- Property owners mistake
- Door not properly closed
- Kids, neighbors, relatives, visitors, repairman
- Cleaning crews
- Pets
- Equipment malfunction
“Citizens and business owners can cut down on false alarms by educating everyone that has access to the building on the proper use of the alarm, by keeping motion detector sensors clear and by changing the battery on their system every three years,” said Long.
In April of 2005, the Duncanville City Council approved a contract with PMAM Corporation out of Irving, Texas for alarm management services.
“We realized that this may lead to some confusion since homeowners and businesses are receiving billing and notices for their alarm permits from an address outside of Duncanville ,” said Long. “Citizens and business owners can always come to the police department to manage their permits.”
Reference alarm permits, the police department can be contacted at 972-780-4992.
©2006 Duncanville Police Department
City of Duncanville, Texas
Police Department
203 E. Wheatland Road
P.O. Box 380280
Duncanville, TX 75138-0280
972-780-5038 |
