Jan 12, 2009 10:43 am US/Pacific
City Proposes New Law, Requires Home Alarm Permits
LOS ANGELES
A proposed ordinance that would require security companies to verify that homeowners have obtained a permit and paid a licensing fee before installing an alarm was approved today by a City Council committee.
The ordinance would bar alarm companies from installing security systems until owners have received a city permit and paid a $31 fee. The Public Safety Committee's recommendation for approval was forwarded to the full council.
Half of the false alarm calls the Los Angeles Police Department responds to involve unpermitted alarm systems, and the city is only able to bill a quarter of those homeowners for the false call, said Richard Tefank, executive director of the Police Commission.
"Tracking them down, if we do not get a good address at the time the alarm is reported ... if that address is not corrected along the way, we have no ability to go back and look at a permit number to track it and send a bill to that particular subscriber," Tefank said.
In fiscal year 2007-08, the city collected $8.3 million from homeowners whose alarm systems were inadvertently activated. Since July of last year, the city has billed $8.4 million in false alarm fees and collected $6 million of that, Tefank said.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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