CITY CONSIDERS FINES FOR FALSE ALARMS.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer LANCASTER - Lancaster City Council is considering a fine of $100 for false burglar BURGLAR. One who commits a burglary. (q. v.) alarms, saying such calls are a drain of law enforcement time and resources. The City Council wants to impose a fine of $100 for every call after the first two false alarms and will consider the proposal at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 44933 Fern Ave. During a seven-day period, the Sheriff's Department averages 133 false alarm calls in Lancaster, Assistant City Manager Dennis Davenport Davenport, city (1990 pop. 95,333), seat of Scott co., E central Iowa, on the Mississippi River; inc. 1836. Bridges connect it with the Illinois cities of Rock Island and Moline; the three communities and neighboring Bettendorf, Iowa, are known as the Quad Cities. said in a staff report to the City Council. ``The purpose of a false alarm program is threefold: to encourage the proper maintenance of alarm systems, to reduce the number of false alarms, and to allow deputies to better utilize their time and focus on other important calls,'' Davenport said in the report. The problem is a frustrating frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: one for the Sheriff's Department, having to divert personnel away from other calls. It is also a potentially dangerous one, setting up a ``crying wolf'' situation, where a lawman responding to yet another call at the same business might be caught with his guard down during a real break-in, officials said. ``Currently there's no real mechanism to compel Compel - COMpute ParallEL the owners to straighten the problem out,'' said Capt. Tom Pigott, commander of the Lancaster sheriff's station. ``This is the only reasonable, rational response.'' Under the proposed ordinance A law, statute, or regulation enacted by a Municipal Corporation. An ordinance is a law passed by a municipal government. A municipality, such as a city, town, village, or borough, is a political subdivision of a state within which a municipal corporation has been , a deputy will leave a notice at the home or business after the first false alarm. The deputy will also leave a brochure outlining the false alarm ordinance. After the second false alarm, the deputy will again leave a notice for the alarm user advising them that they will be fined for each additional occurrence. For the third and subsequent false alarm calls, a notice will be sent to the city and an invoice for $100, payable within 30 days, will be sent to the responsible party. In a year, the ordinance is expected to redirect re·di·rect tr.v. re·di·rect·ed, re·di·rect·ing, re·di·rects To change the direction or course of. n. A redirect examination. re $324,000 worth of service to other law enforcement needs. Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, and Palmdale have enacted similar ordinances. |
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