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WESTLAKE, Ohio – City Council, acting on a recommendation from the mayor and police chief, has approved an ordinance allowing the city to charge commercial businesses for false alarms that summon the police. “Although an alarm system is important as a deterrent to unlawful entry, continued malfunctioning or employee error compromises the effectiveness of the system,” according to language in the ordinance. “Frequent response by the police to these alarms is not only expensive, but also creates a risk of injury to the responding officer and others and a risk of damage to the property.” The ordinance imposes fees for false burglary and holdup alarms. It would not apply to alarm subscribers or users who sound an alarm in good faith, believing that a burglary or holdup is occurring. It also would not apply to burglar alarms when there has been an “act of God” or malfunction involving public utilities. However, the ordinance is designed to address false alarms due to improperly installed or maintained alarm systems and improperly installed, secured, or maintained windows and doors. A $100 charge can be assessed to a property owner, tenant, or management company for the first false alarm at a commercial establishment. Each subsequent false alarm could result in a $250 fine. However, Mayor Clough, during a Nov. 6 City Council meeting, said the city would use discretion in determining when to assess the fees. “This involves the false alarms that oftentimes the police get from businesses that somehow do not monitor their alarm system that goes off,” Clough said. “Obviously, we will always respond, but when they have been informed that they need to fix the alarm system so they are not truly false alarms, we want the ability to charge them for that.” Normally, the city would first give a business owner a warning that their alarm system needs maintenance or repair to prevent false alarms. However, if the system continues to go off when there is not a need, a fee could be imposed. “We will use judgment,” Clough said. The ordinance was adopted unanimously.
