Foster City False Alarms Will Be Costly

Changes in Foster City’s “False Alarm” ordinance have been enacted as a means of recouping costs involved for responders.

The changes include a reduction in the number of free false alarms before a fine is imposed, and the addition of a fine enhancement for multiple high risk false alarms, according to Police Chief Craig Courtin.

Additionally, the annual tracking period was changed from the calendar year to July-June.

The previous City ordinance permitted three false alarms a year before a fine was imposed. The new ordinance reduces the number of free false alarms to only one per year. On a second false alarm call, the city will charge you $50 for a standard response, $100 for a high-risk response. The fees continue to escalate with every false alarm.

Courtin says the change is to encourage quicker repairs of malfunctioning alarm systems or changes to practices that result in false alarms.

The addition of a fine enhancement for high risk alarms takes into account the increased level of police staffing levels, and the time required to appropriately address these potentially dangerous types of calls.

The fine enhancement applies to panic alarms, often manually activated by a person in need, as well as to robbery (hold-up) alarms.

The changes began July 1, 2011.

The Foster City City Council adopted a revised fees schedule in June. You can see the complete list of fees here.