41F-Burglar, Hold-Up or Other Alarms for Police Service Fee 2019

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41F-Burglar, Hold-Up or Other Alarms for Police Service, including billing Policy & Procedure Page 2 of 7 The alarm service fee is not a fine; it is the real cost of dispatching officers to the scene of an alarm, investigating the origin of the alarm activation, and documenting the incident. The cost of doing business has increased since 1991. The alarm service fee is $80 for a residential alarm and $120 for non-residential and/or “high risk” alarm activations. Alarm Registration: Any alarm that may generate a call to the Police Department must be registered. A registration includes the alarm system address, phone number, and the name of the person/business responsible for the alarm. Since 1991, there has been an alarm registration requirement. The 2007 changes are intended to keep the registration process simple. Alarm monitoring companies must register alarm systems they intend to report to the police station when an alarm is activated. Alarm users are excused from having to register their alarm systems if their alarm company has done it for them. There is no fee for registering the alarms. It is our experience that most alarm companies can easily generate a full list of their alarm systems and then mail this information to the Police Department. Lexington has been relatively successful reducing false alarms since 1991. Shifting the cost of false alarms to the few alarm users responsible for these alarms is good public policy. This program encourages alarm users to become familiar with how to use their alarm system, provide the proper maintenance, and where necessary, upgrade or replace faulty systems. Service Fees versus Fines: Lexington has chosen the alarm service fee as the basis for reducing false alarms. Fines are included only for gross violations of the regulations. “High Risk Alarms.”: Our service fees are based on the level of service we provide. Many residential alarms require a low level police response with unoccupied dwellings that have perimeter or motion alarms. We charge a higher fee for non- residential locations. “High Risk Alarms” are those that are manually activated by a person and suggest that there is an immediate threat. The priority police response to “High Risk Alarms” will be subject to a higher service fee, including residences. Alarm Companies may wish to review the terminology they use when reporting an alarm.