Hahn Backs Less Strict Alarm Plan

Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn proposed Tuesday that homeowners and business owners be allowed two false burglar alarms before they would need to verify a break-in for a police response, a compromise in the months-long debate about whether the Police Department has the resources to continue answering burglar alarms.

Under the proposed policy, owners would also be charged for all false alarms and would be cited for having alarms without police permits.

Deputy Mayor Roberta Yang said the compromise was designed to balance scarce police resources with the need for security.

The matter will now go to the Police Commission, which in January approved a new policy that would have ended police response to unverified burglar alarms. The policy brought criticism from residents and business owners, who complained that they would be left unprotected. But police officials said the Los Angeles Police Department was wasting patrol time responding to false alarms, which last year made up 92% of alarm calls.

Implementation of the new policy was put on hold while a city task force studied the matter. Last month, the task force proposed a “three strikes” policy that would have allowed three false alarms, but the commission declined to adopt that proposal.

Yang said the current proposal was developed in conjunction with commission staff and other city agencies. The new policy would reduce police responses to false alarms by more than 50%, she said. She said advocates were confident that the commission would “give it a fair hearing.”

Tami Catania, a spokeswoman for the Police Commission, said the panel had no comment on the proposal, but would discuss the matter at its meeting next Tuesday.

Councilwomen Janice Hahn and Wendy Greuel, who have urged the LAPD to modify its policy, said Tuesday that they would lobby the police commissioners to back Hahn’s proposal.

“This is a lesson learned that you never give up,” Greuel said. “I appreciate the leadership of the mayor on this to break the logjam.”

Councilwoman Hahn noted that the city could increase its revenue under the proposal, which would stiffen the enforcement of false alarms.

“This is really a comprehensive solution,” she said.