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IRVINE
Despite new hefty fines on false alarms, Irvine’s estimated 15,000 alarm owners are still setting off sirens by mistake.
Police officers have responded to the same number of false alarms since a new ordinance that raised the stakes went into effect Oct. 1. Part of the new code mandates that alarm owners file a permit application with the department.
Police respond to 13,000 to 14,000 false alarms each year--a time-consuming task that ties up the equivalent of five full-time police officers. Only 65 to 70 calls turn out to involve a burglary or robbery, police said.
A new software program allows police officers to track the number of false alarms at a home or business. After three, owners must pay $50 to $100 for the fourth call and increasingly more for each additional false alarm.
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