NOTICE TO RESIDENTIAL ALARM OWNERS

On April 1, 2005 the Howard County Police Department will begin residential false alarm enforcement.Click Here For More Information.

False Alarm Reduction

WE’RE WORKING TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF FALSE ALARMS IN HOWARD COUNTY… AND WE NEED YOUR HELP.

False alarms cost taxpayers over a million dollars each year and take police officers away from other crime prevention efforts. That’s why there’s a law in Howard County that requires all residential and commercial alarm systems to be registered with the county and levies fines for repeat false alarms.

A new Howard County Law requires the Howard County Police Department to:

• register all commercial and residential alarm systems in Howard County;
• register all alarm installation and monitoring companies doing business in Howard County;
• track false alarms and impose civil penalties for repeat activations of false alarms.

It is the responsibility of alarm owners to register their own alarm systems. Owners must register with the Howard County Police Department’s Automated Enforcement Division through their alarm companies.

CRYING WOLF WITH PUBLIC SAFETY

The Howard County Police Department is requested to respond to nearly 20,000 false alarms each year. Alarm legislation was adopted in an effort to reduce this tremendous waste of resources. When properly used, alarm systems are an effective tool for crime prevention, however; roughly 99% of all alarms are false. This excessively high false alarm rate reduces overall effectiveness and places a greater burden on public safety.

The Automated Enforcement Division (AED) of the Howard County Police Department is responsible for administering the county’s alarm law and reducing the number of false alarms. The AED registers alarm companies and alarm users, sends notifications of false alarms, and issues fines for excessive false alarms.

A False Alarm is defined as any alarm signal that elicits a response by police personnel for which there is no evidence of criminal activity to justify this response. A false alarm may be caused by factors such as human error or equipment malfunction.

REGISTRATION - IT’S A MUST UNDER THE LAW!

The new law requires, among other things, that all alarm systems in Howard County be registered with the Howard County Police Department. All entities doing business as alarm companies or monitoring companies must also be registered. Failure to register an alarm system can subject the owner of the system to a civil penalty of $200 for each police response to the alarm site in addition to any penalties imposed for the false alarm itself.

If it hasn’t already done so, your alarm company will be forwarding you the necessary paperwork to register your alarm system. It is extremely important that you fill out this registration form accurately and return it to the Automated Enforcement Division per the instructions printed on the form. A one time $25.00 registration fee must be paid with each registration form. If you do not have an alarm/monitoring company, you may obtain registration information directly from the AED.

Alarm registrations are not transferable from one alarm user to another or from one location to another. However, if you change alarm companies, mailing address or contact person information, you are not required to re-register your alarm system. You are required to advise the Automated Enforcement Division in writing of those change(s).

HOW THE LAW WORKS

Every alarm user is issued a warning letter for the first two false alarms. After the third false alarm within a 12 month period, a false alarm fine of $50 will be imposed. If false alarms continue to be activated, the fine will increase each time, up to $1,000. For every five false alarms activated, the Automated Enforcement Division will require an inspection and certification of the system by a qualified alarm company.

Alarm fines can be appealed through the Automated Enforcement Division Alarm Administrator. However, there is a $20 filing fee for each appeal, which shall be refunded if the appeal is successful.

And remember - your alarm system MUST be registered with the Automated Enforcement Division. The Automated Enforcement Division may refuse to grant an alarm registration to an alarm user or alarm business and may suspend or refuse to renew an alarm registration, if fees required or imposed under Subtitle 7 have not been paid, if installation repairs, maintenance or other work on an alarm system does not meet the requirements of the Subtitle, or if false information of a material matter has been submitted on an application.

Howard County Police Department
Automated Enforcement Division
3410 Court House Drive
Ellicott City, MD 21043
(410) 313-6199