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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 30, 2005 Medford endorses false-alarm fees Police have responded to nearly 1,000 calls that ultimately turned out to be unnecessary By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Alarmed at the number of times police are dispatched needlessly, the Medford City Council agreed Thursday to charge a fee for false alarms from security systems. This year, through August, Medford police officers responded to 1,052 security alarms. Only 62 of those resulted in criminal investigations; police determined the other 990 were false alarms. Police have put 560 hours into responding to alarms in 2005, plus 59 hours in investigations and 192 hours for alarm reviews and invoice mailings. It’s costing a significant amount of time and money, said Police Chief Eric Mellgren. Mellgren said some of the financial burden should fall on those with regular false alarms. Perhaps that would provide an incentive to manage those alarm systems better, he said. The City Council gave Medford police initial approval both to increase the annual fees for alarm response permits and to start charging for false alarms. The city has issued 3,091 alarm permits, which are primarily for businesses. Advertisement The annual fee would increase from $13 to $30 and false alarm fees would range from $50 for a second false alarm — the first is free — to $400 and a permit suspension for a fifth false alarm. Mayor Gary Wheeler said he knew a little about false alarms. "My house alarm went off this morning," he said, adding that he never determined what set it off, and called his alarm company to cancel the call. The most common false alarms are from businesses, with "untrained employees" being the top cause. That can be an expensive error, since multiple police officers are sent out. "Post-bank robbery, there’s going to be close to a dozen detectives wanted around," Mellgren told the council. He said another option would be to discontinue police responding to alarms at all. "The problem with that is they might miss the big one," said Mellgren. Other non-crime causes may be the wind blowing a plate glass window and setting off the alarm, or a motion sensor set off by a roaming cat in a house. Sometimes a system has a malfunction, but is not repaired. Alison Chan, city finance director, said the fee would be a wakeup call for those with regular false alarms. "That’s our whole goal, to get the false alarms to stop," she said. There will be a public hearing on the fee and charges at a future council meeting. Alarm responses Of the more than 1,000 calls received this year, the vast majority were false alarms: Of 807 business alarm calls, only 54 were for actual crimes. Of 185 residential alarm calls, only three were valid. Of 24 panic alarm calls, only four were valid. Of 36 hold-up alarm calls, only one was valid. Proposed fees The following fees have been proposed for alarm systems in the city of Medford: Fee for alarm permit would increase from $13 to $30 per year. One free false alarm per year. Second false alarm in a year — $50 charge. Third false alarm — $100 charge. Fourth false alarm — $200 charge. Fifth false alarm — permit suspended, $400 reinstatement fee. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s