HUNTINGTON BEACH : Council Toughens Home-Alarm Rules

Hoping to curb the high rate of false alarms the Police Department receives each day from home security systems, the City Council has tightened regulations on home alarm devices.

The changes, requested by Police Chief Ronald E. Lowenberg, are the first since the city enacted its alarm ordinance in January, 1976.

The amendments will make alarm-installation firms more liable for malfunctioning devices and make it easier to revoke permits from owners of systems that frequently trigger false alarms.

Currently, the Police Department receives 23 false alarms each day from security systems at homes and businesses.

Under the existing ordinance, a complicated, expensive procedure is required to suspend police response to homes or businesses that consistently trigger faulty alarms or to revoke user permits for security systems. Before halting the use of a faulty system, the Police Department must notify the user by two certified-mail letters and allow two 15-day periods during which to correct the problem.

Consequently, when a system is prone to recurring false alarms, the Police Department has often been unable to do anything to stem the problem, Lowenberg said.

After the new law goes into effect next month, the police will be able to revoke an alarm permit after a single mailed notification.

The new ordinance will also require the alarm installer to obtain an initial permit because many residents do not know that one is needed.

If three false alarms are caused by a system within a year, the owner may be fined up to $100. If 10 false alarms occur within a year, the owner and the alarm installer will be notified that the system will be disconnected unless the problem is corrected.

While making it easier for police to take action against a faulty alarm system, the new law also adds protection to owners who are not aware of the problem or have unusual circumstances.

For example, owners may be charged with only one false alarm during a 72-hour period. The owner will also not be charged for malfunctioning systems occurring while he or she is absent.

The amended law also allows for an appeals process to have a revoked alarm permit reinstated if the problem is promptly corrected.