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Sep 27, 2004 -- L.A. charging fees for false burglar alarms

What percent of burglar alarms are false? Would you believe just under 100 percent are false. Burglar alarms are just about last on the list of priorities for police officers because nearly every time they go it’s a waste of time. In fact, in L.A., the police chief said officers would not respond to alarms unless they were verified. You get one freebie. But if the police are called again, they will not go unless it’s verified. So, burglar alarm companies would have to find a way to verify these alarms. People in Los Angeles were livid! Clark published a poll on the topic to find out what you thought. More than half of the people polled said police should always respond. About six percent said cops should never respond because alarms are a waste of time. And just under 50 percent said alarms should be verified first. Now, L.A. has decided that money talks when it comes to alarms. The first time an officer responds to a false alarm at your house it’s $150. The second is $200, and $50 each time after that. The real issue is that we have these deterrents in our homes that are not effective. Putting cameras in the home is one way to allow burglar alarm companies to verify a crime in progress and tape it. But, in the meantime, it doesn’t make sense to Clark to waste taxpayer dollars on these false alarms.
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