January 7, 2003
Police Commission Vote Aims to Curb Response to False Burglar Alarms
David Zahniser Copley News Service
Los Angeles, CA
The Police Commission voted Tuesday to reduce sharply the Los Angeles Police Department's responses to private security alarms, saying false alarm calls are a drain on limited police resources.
Under the special order passed by the commission, officers will no longer go to the site of a triggered alarm unless the security company running the alarm has verified visually that an emergency is taking place.
The vote drew protests from homeowners and owners of small businesses alike, who said they were losing the one tool that allows them to cope with the city's lack of police coverage. "We've lived with (the lack of officers) and we accept that," said James O'Sullivan, president of the Miracle Mile Residential Association. "But the one thing that happens when we go to bed at night is we set the alarm, and we fully expect that when the alarm goes off, the police are going to come."
The proposal comes as Police Chief William Bratton and the commission, whose five members are appointed by Mayor James Hahn, look for ways to redirect resources in a department that is short hundreds of officers.
The LAPD responds to nearly 136,000 burglary alarm calls annually, 92 percent of which have been deemed false, according to department figures. By avoiding such alarm calls, police officials believe they will increase patrol time by 15 percent.
"We have to deal with the deployment," said Commissioner David Cunningham III. "We can't bring in 1,000 officers overnight."
Representatives of the security industry argue that the new procedure would cause alarm costs to skyrocket by up to $800 per home annually, by forcing consumers to purchase video cameras or other, more expensive security systems. Residents of low-income neighborhoods, they said, will be affected the most.
"Who we're really hurting here is the low-end consumer that cannot afford ... the patrol, the armed response or the new technology," said Tony Storm, vice president of a Culver City-based security company. "Not responding to those people would be a crime in itself."
Arnie Bell, president of the Southern California Security Association, said the industry will press the City Council to reverse the commission's action, which will be followed in six months by a reworked alarm ordinance.
The special order passed Tuesday does offer two exceptions: alarms that go off at firearms businesses or at buildings patrolled by the LAPD, including the offices of the City Council.Order StrikeMaster II Now - We Accept Checks & All Major Credit Cards
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