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Alarm Plan: Police May Quit Reacting (Los Angeles)
Los Angeles Daily News ^ | 12/02/02 | Mariel Garza

Posted on 12/14/2002 4:02:37 PM PST by Mark

Alarm Plan: Police May Quit Reacting

2nd title in paper: Will Police Turn Deaf Ear to Alarms?

By Mariel Garza

Staff Writer

Friday, December 13, 2002 - Los Angeles police officers would ignore most private residential and business burglar alarms under a plan to be considered Tuesday -- a policy many say would put Angelenos at risk of being victimized.

The Police Commission is set to adopt a policy to halt automatic police response to most alarm calls unless a human being verifies that there is evidence of a break-in. The Los Angeles Police Department responds to about 136,000 burglar alarm calls a year -- more than 90 percent of them false alarms.

"Right now in the city, we lose 15 percent of the patrol time for responding to false alarms," said Joe Gunn, executive director of the Police Commission. This change would allow the city to make better use of those officers, he said.

Currently, if an alarm is tripped, it sends a signal to a private alarm company, which tries to contact the resident or business operator. If that person can't be reached, the company assumes it's an emergency and calls the police, who treat the call with the lowest priority.

But under the new policy, officers won't roll to an alarm call at all unless a third party -- such as a private security officer, a neighbor, the homeowner or business operator -- can verify that something is amiss.

"In this time of critical shortage of police officers with violent crime on the rise, we have to really look at the most important things police officers should be doing," said City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, chairwoman of the council's Public Safety Committee.

Responding to false alarms is not the best use of officers' time, she said.

The policy does include some exemptions.

Banks, the approximately 30 gun dealers in the city and government buildings would still get automatic police response. And robbery and panic alarms, which are tripped by a person in trouble, would still elicit a police response.

Alarm companies, residents and businesses criticize the plan as putting citizens and companies at risk, and essentially putting out a welcome mat for criminals.

"The only way burglars ever get caught in this country are with alarm systems. They never get caught in another way," said George Gunning of Canoga Park, co-owner of USA Alarm Systems Inc. and a founding member of the Greater Los Angeles Security Alarm Association.

Gunning argues that a nonresponse policy would "open up the doors to every petty burglar in the Western United States to come here and clean out any house."

The new policy would put the burden of a first response on the private companies, which they are not happy about.

In a letter to the commission Friday, GLASAA asked for a delay in adopting the policy and for the commission to create a working group, including GLASAA, which would come up with a different plan.

In particular, alarm companies propose an alternative that would require alarm companies to improve telephone verification, give the LAPD updated lists of alarm users, and take other steps they predict would reduce false alarms.

"If the Police Commission moves forward with a nonresponse policy, it is telling Los Angeles' residential and commercial alarm owners that their alarms are worthless and that the department would rather pursue a draconian 'solution' to a problem caused by a small number of habitual abusers rather than work with the alarm industry to find a common-sense, effective solution," the letter said.

GLASAA also pointed out that according to LAPD data, false-alarm fees bring in more than $2.4 million each year to city coffers and alarm-permit fees bring in $3.1 million. The city could bring in millions more if it enforced the requirement that alarm users pay for an annual $31 alarm permit. As many as 160,000 people and businesses with alarms don't have permits, officials said.

But the money isn't a concern in this case, said Police Commission President Rick Caruso.

"The concern now is that there's a lot of resources being used to respond to calls from false alarms," Caruso said. Changing the policy would free up about $11 million in police resources.

Besides, the fees and fines collected go into the city's general fund, and are not necessarily disbursed to the LAPD, Caruso said.

Claims that the proposed policy change will result in more quality patrol time by police officers ring false to Tony Lucente, president of the Studio City Residents Association.

"Unfortunately, this (responding to false alarms) is sometimes the only way the officers get into the neighborhoods, speaking from personal experience," Lucente said. "It's not the best way, but it is one way to get patrol cars in your neighborhood."

GLASAA also argues that the policy change would hurt those least able to afford it -- small-business people and residents, who would drop their alarm service rather than pay more for a private security force.

"What am I paying for?" said Mike Gruner, owner of Green Jug Fine Wine and Spirits in Woodland Hills. He pays the yearly alarm-permit fee and figures it and his taxes should fund reasonable police services.

"I might as well hire a private company and tell (the police) to take a hike," Gruner said.

That's essentially what business owners and homeowners with alarms will have to do if they want the same level of service under the new policy, Gunning said.

The proposed policy seems like just another ratcheting down of services in a city already doing a bad job, said Bill Powers, chairman of the United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley.

"Basically, you have a group of businesses who are already receiving very limited protection, especially in the Valley, because of the shortage of police officers," Powers said. "Rather than increase the staff, they decrease coverage so businesses won't have the protection they need."

The department is making strides in filling some of the more than 1,000 open police-officer positions. Academy classes are full and officers are leaving the department in fewer numbers than in recent years. But police officials say it will take a while longer before the department is up to its authorized strength of more than 10,000 officers.

Caruso said adoption of the policy Tuesday isn't a forgone conclusion and that he is open to exploring a "happy medium."

Meanwhile, residents like Ellen Bagelman of Lake Balboa will feel a little uneasy about how a change in police response might play out.

"I acknowledge they're in a bind," said Bagelman, a police officer's widow. "My fear is that one call that can't be verified will be a true robbery or burglary in progress and, yikes, the guy gets away with it."


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: alarms; cityofangels; crime; lapd
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I wonder how Mayor Bloomberg of NY would handle this?
1 posted on 12/14/2002 4:02:37 PM PST by Mark
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To: Mark
The cops wont respond to private property alarms unless you are a gun dealer...but the invidual may not own a gun for personal defense because the court determined this is a collective right (milita=national guard) and not an individual right...

Hey ees not my yob..main...
Next up: Police wont respond to 911 calls
2 posted on 12/14/2002 4:08:06 PM PST by joesnuffy
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To: Mark
The cops wont respond to private property alarms unless you are a gun dealer...but the invidual may not own a gun for personal defense because the court determined this is a collective right (milita=national guard) and not an individual right...

Hey ees not my yob..main...

Next up: Police wont respond to 911 calls
3 posted on 12/14/2002 4:08:30 PM PST by joesnuffy
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To: joesnuffy
911 calls are put on hold for up to a half an hour sometimes anyway.
4 posted on 12/14/2002 4:11:08 PM PST by Mark
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To: Mark
(LA cops)'OK, we took away the right of you citizens to protect yourselves, and now we won't protect you either.'

Why anyone is Kalifornia would put up with this is beyond me.

5 posted on 12/14/2002 4:12:50 PM PST by wcbtinman
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To: joesnuffy
"The only way burglars ever get caught in this country are with alarm systems. They never get caught in another way," said George Gunning of Canoga Park, co-owner of USA Alarm Systems Inc. and a founding member of the Greater Los Angeles Security Alarm Association.

I would disagree with that.

6 posted on 12/14/2002 4:13:44 PM PST by Mark
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To: wcbtinman
New York is worse as far as gun control goes and DC too, but NY has a lot more cops.
7 posted on 12/14/2002 4:15:56 PM PST by Mark
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To: Mark
There are probably a LOT of people serving 25 years for their third strike burglary who also disagree.
8 posted on 12/14/2002 4:24:15 PM PST by Enterprise
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To: Mark
DeShaney v. Winnebago

A State's failure to protect an individual against private violence generally does not constitute a violation of the Due Process Clause, because the Clause imposes no duty on the State to provide members of the general public with adequate protective services. The Clause is phrased as a limitation on the State's power to act, not as a guarantee of certain minimal levels of safety and security; while it forbids the State itself to deprive individuals of life, liberty, and property without due process of law, its language cannot fairly be read to impose an affirmative obligation on the State to ensure that those interests do not come to harm through other means.

9 posted on 12/14/2002 4:37:56 PM PST by michigander
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To: joesnuffy
Next up: Police wont respond to 911 calls.

Looks like a tremendous private enterprise opportunity. We have private schools, why not private police? Likely would be more efficient than the "government" police anyway.

10 posted on 12/14/2002 4:38:48 PM PST by toddst
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To: toddst
There are tons of private security services here. Unfortunately, they are usually staffed by $8.00 per hour weenies who's only job it is to call the police!!
11 posted on 12/14/2002 4:42:05 PM PST by calljack
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To: toddst
Cost of insurance is too high. However, rest assured as things become worse there will be private police.
12 posted on 12/14/2002 4:42:30 PM PST by AEMILIUS PAULUS
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To: toddst
Looks like a tremendous private enterprise opportunity. We have private schools, why not private police? Likely would be more efficient than the "government" police anyway.

I'd love to see that happen. But then many government police would probably spend 100% of their time harrassing the private police for horning in on their union-protected jobs.

13 posted on 12/14/2002 4:46:32 PM PST by bimbo
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To: Mark
I'm not surprised. From my experience 99.999999999999 %
of those alarms are false. It's a huge waste of money.

14 posted on 12/14/2002 4:49:56 PM PST by UB355
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To: Mark
Did anyone else catch the fact that there are a total of 30 gun dealers in the entire LA city limits? This is the biggest or second biggest metro area in the U.S.--these must be Megalogunmarts, right?

As if I had to ask. No wonder they are cutting back on police--the RAT politicians running that city want to give their power base a little extra something in their stockings this Xmas. Like a black market big screen.
15 posted on 12/14/2002 5:26:11 PM PST by LibertarianInExile
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To: UB355
we cut our alarm contract....

the alarm company wouldnt take the system out...because I told them we were on a month to month lease...they stuck stickers all over the alarm box in the office hoping the next tenants would call for service...

in 7 years, all the trips were accidental, and I would have to get out of bed because some rat or mouse ran through a beam in the lobby...

and, every time the police came out after your free two visits, it was $150 fine...

what a rip.... we are in a service industry though, and in Burbank....used to be in Lost Angeles, until a armed foot pursuit ran through our office.

16 posted on 12/14/2002 5:29:57 PM PST by BurbankKarl
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To: Mark
"The only way burglars ever get caught in this country are with alarm systems. They never get caught in another way."

Maybe not in L.A. they don't, but in Texas they get caught all the time by armed homeowners.

17 posted on 12/14/2002 5:58:58 PM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: calljack
There are tons of private security services here. Unfortunately, they are usually staffed by $8.00 per hour weenies who's only job it is to call the police!!

Those are the rent-a-cops who deal with middle-class homeowners. It's a different story for the extremely wealthy -- they can afford to hire off-duty cops and ex-special-forces for THIER security

18 posted on 12/14/2002 6:00:14 PM PST by SauronOfMordor
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To: Mark
We got an alarm because police protection in LA stinks to begin with. One might recall the 92 riots when it broke down completely for 4 full days.

Then the police charge for an alarm permit, threatening one with jail if it isn't paid. Now this.

I'll be damned and dead before I'll ever give up my guns. This city's poltical leadership and its new, more-starstruck-every-day police chief can go to hell.

19 posted on 12/14/2002 6:25:18 PM PST by onedoug
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To: wcbtinman
(LA cops)'OK, we took away the right of you citizens to protect yourselves, and now we won't protect you either.'

Wise up.

The Police never could protect you.

There are more guns in private hands in California than *any* other state in the country.

Ask the rioters of 92 in LA about going into the Korean community. They got their a$$es shot off and many decided it just wasn't worth it as the koreans brought out their arms in a big way. It was a sight to behold.

20 posted on 12/14/2002 6:36:59 PM PST by Joe Hadenuf
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