SEMINAR ON FALSE ALARMS SET; CLASS TONIGHT TO TARGET HOME, BUSINESS SYSTEMS.Byline: David Greenberg The creator of this article, or someone who has substantially contributed to it, may have a conflict of interest regarding its subject matter. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Staff Writer Every time the dog trips the home security system or a mispunched code sounds a break-in, the police are notified, costing the city $424,000 last year on false alarms. Less than 2 percent of burglary burglary, at common law, the breaking and entering of a dwelling house of another at night with the intent to commit a felony, whether the intent is carried out or not. alarm calls to the Oxnard Police Department last year involved real criminal activity, authorities said, leading them tonight to launch Ventura County's first False Alarm School to teach home and business owners how to use the security devices. ``It's essentially like calling 911 to report a crime that's not a crime at all,'' said Oxnard police Sgt. Tom Chronister. ``It's a waste of our resources. We could be doing preventive preventive /pre·ven·tive/ (pre-vent´iv) prophylactic. pre·ven·tive or pre·ven·ta·tive adj. Preventing or slowing the course of an illness or disease; prophylactic. n. patrol rather than rushing back and forth to alarm calls.'' False Alarm School, a one-seminar class, is designed to educate the public on how to properly purchase, install and maintain security alarms. The bulk of false alarm calls results from user error, such as not turning the system off with the proper code or leaving a motion detection system on with a pet in the house, said Peggy Peggy may refer to:
Other mishaps occur with systems that are poorly installed or not regularly maintained by alarm companies, she said. ``Knowing what you're doing makes a lot of difference,'' Burch said. While alarm signals accounted for 6,931 of the 72,174 calls Oxnard police responded to in 1998, only 85 involved some form of criminal action, records show. Residents and business owners can be fined after two false alarms within a year - a $75 fine for the third false alarm within the year, $100 for the fourth and $150 for each one afterward af·ter·ward also af·ter·wards adv. At a later time; subsequently. Adv. 1. afterward - happening at a time subsequent to a reference time; "he apologized subsequently"; "he's going to the store but he'll be back here . Chronister stressed that the class is not designed to discourage people from using alarm systems. The two-hour class also will offer information about false alarm laws, reputable rep·u·ta·ble adj. Having a good reputation; honorable. rep  u·ta·bil alarm companies and handling false alarm activation activation /ac·ti·va·tion/ (ak?ti-va´shun)1. the act or process of rendering active. 2. the transformation of a proenzyme into an active enzyme by the action of a kinase or another enzyme. 3. . ``A property with an alarm system is much less prone to be broken into than a property without an alarm system,'' he said. ``What we're trying to do is raise awareness of the false alarm problem by educating users as to some common reasons why alarms falsely ring.'' And those who pass the class, and who live or have businesses in the city, will receive a certificate good for one free fine waiver The voluntary surrender of a known right; conduct supporting an inference that a particular right has been relinquished. The term waiver is used in many legal contexts. if their alarm mistakenly brings the police. The facts False Alarm School 7 tonight Oxnard Public Library 251 South A St. Free and open to a maximum of 90 people For class reservations, call (805) 385-7672. |
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