To offset the cost of police response to false alarms, the Bakersfield (Calif.) Police Department has proposed a five-tier system implementing notification and fees.
The City Council agreed to consider the proposal, and is expected to vote on it in August.
In 2010, 97 percent of the Bakersfield PD's 17,725 alarm calls in were false, reports the Bakersfield Californian. Police responded to 10,115 calls, which cost the department more than $1 million.
The new ordinance would implement esclating fees for false-alarm calls to each address.
For the first false alarm, users would receive a written warning. The fee for police response will be waived. For the second false alarm, users pay $105 and can waive the fee if they attend "alarm school."
On the third false alarm, a $105 police response fee would be imposed, along with a $105 penalty. By the fifth false alarm, users can face a total charge of $420, as well as the possibility that police will not respond.
Source: Bakersfield Californian