Spanish Fork mulls false-alarm ordinance

SPANISH FORK — False alarms are costing taxpayers far too much, Spanish Fork Police Chief Dee Rosenbaum says, and he's asking city leaders to consider charging repeat offenders up to $200 for each incident.

The police and fire departments respond to hundreds of false alarms annually, Rosenbaum said, costing the department an estimated $79,000 a year. False alarms increase liability for the emergency responders and have resulted in accidents.

Under a proposed new ordinance, police would start keeping track of false-alarm repeat offenders, something they don't do now.

"We know who they are," Rosenbaum told the City Council on Tuesday. "There's about eight if them."

The ordinance, similar to one passed in Orem, would require alarm companies, businesses and residents to register their alarms with the police department. The first three false alarms in a calendar year would get off with a warning. The fourth false alarm would cost the owner $50; the fifth, $75; and the sixth through the ninth, $100 each. Ten or more false alarms in a year would carry a fine of $200 each, Rosenbaum said.

Repeated false alarms at the same establishment create a complacent attitude among responders, he said.

"We're not supposed to be complacent, but it puts the responder in jeopardy," Rosenbaum said.

It takes police and firefighters about an hour to an hour and a half to check out a false alarm, he said.

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