RICHLAND, Wash. – The city of Richland is taking steps to address the issue of false alarm burglary calls that are straining police resources. A workshop was held to discuss implementing a new system aimed at reducing these calls.
Police Chief Martin Pilcher highlighted the problem’s extent, noting that most burglary calls stem from homes or businesses using alarm companies to monitor security systems. “we’ve had 489 alarm calls in the first quarter. Nine of those were valid, 363 were clearly identified as false and 117 are unknown,” he said.
Richland’s city attorney is drafting an ordinance and considering different approaches to deter false calls. One option is to charge a large punitive fee that increases over time, while another is to impose a fee that simply covers the cost of the call.
“The punitive thing is probably more trouble than its worth with the issues that he brought up. So I would think that cost recovery,” said City Council Member Ryan Whitten.
If a property or homeowner continues to have false calls, the city’s plan involves stopping responses to burglary calls from automated monitoring companies. This would remain in place until changes are made to prevent false alarms. “Where I think once they’re notified, okay, will be no more responses unless it’s a verified response with an actual human caller. That found a motivation. And I think that’s really where the the real power of the ordinance lies,” said city Attorney, Heather kintzley
The city attorney plans to use the feedback from city council members to draft an ordinance for future adoption.
