By Andy Kozlowski
C & G Staff Writer

MADISON HEIGHTS — Prior to May 2009, an average of more than six false alarms were triggered every day for five years, tying up public safety personnel with non-issues at the taxpayers’ expense.

But the situation has improved since ordinance revisions established warnings and fees as motivation for the correct use of alarm systems. 

According to Deputy Police Chief Anthony Roberts, in 2008 the Police Department responded to 1,890 false alarms. Once notifications regarding the ordinance went out to alarm holders last October and enforcement began in November, that number dropped to 1,555 false alarms in 2009, showing significant improvement in the span of mere months.

“And so far, it’s been accepted by the community from what I understand and what I see,” Roberts said. “We send out notices they’ve had a false alarm. We’ve had to go as far as recovering costs from some because of false alarms, but so far the businesses I’ve dealt with just inquire as to the date and try to work on the problem. They apologize for the false alarm and try to find the root of the problem and solve it.”

Roberts said both the Police and Fire departments found the measure necessary.

“The officers have to respond (to alarms) as if it was a breaking and entering in progress, or a hold-up in progress,” Roberts said. “So they get there as quickly as possible, which obviously creates increased dangers to both the public and the officers getting there. A lot of times, these are false alarms due to faulty equipment, improper installation or lack of training on the part of the employees, who came to the business and forgot the code and things like that.”

The Police and Fire departments’ handling of false alarms is similar, differing only in the fees charged due to the costlier nature of fire responses. 

For police responses, the user of the false alarm is given a warning on first response and a progressive warning on the second. The third response is a $50 fine, while the fourth and fifth responses are each a $100 fine. The sixth response fines the user $100 and requires proof of inspection of the alarm system, as well as proof that any deficiencies have been corrected.

For fire responses, the first two responses are likewise met with warnings, but now the third response is a $100 fine, the fourth and fifth responses are each a $250 fine, and the sixth response is $250 fine with proof of inspection and correction.

For both police and fire responses, the seventh response charges the resident or business owner as a public nuisance and prosecutes accordingly.

While the new system is an improvement, some kinks are still being ironed out.

“We had a number of medical false alarms,” said Fire Chief Kevin Scheid, noting total false alarms dropped from 410 in 2008 to 394 in 2009. “The senior citizen high-rises have the alarms so they don’t have to pick up the phone. We did find a number of those false alarms. If someone tripped making their bed and flipped the switch, we aren’t going to fine someone for that. If it’s a system malfunction or the alarm is not being properly maintained, that’s what we’re after.

“It’s not the money we want,” Scheid added. “We don’t want to go on unnecessary alarms.”

You can reach Staff Writer Andy Kozlowski at akozlowski@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1104.