False Alarm Ordinance

Orange County

Board of County CommissionersNovember 1st 2011 Workshop

Support Data

Currently the Orange County Sheriff’s Office receives in excess of 50,000 False Burglary or Intrusion Alarm calls per year.

National statistics indicate that the vast majority of alarm calls; between 94 and 98 percent, are false.

In other words, only 2 to 6 percent of alarm calls received by law enforcement are valid.

Nationwide, false alarms account for aproximately 10 to 25 percent of all 911 calls.

http://www.popcenter.org/problems/false_alarms/

Proposed: False Alarm Ordinance

The purpose of this ordinance is to reduce the number of false alarms.

There will be a six month grace period from the date the ordinance is enacted.

During this grace period, citizens and deputies will be educated on the requirements and implementation of the new ordinance to ensure a smooth transition.

Upon the expiration of the grace period, the Sheriff’s Office will respond to three (3) false alarms within a twelve (12) month, prior to the imposition of any fines.

Anticipated Timeline

November 1st 2011: BCC Workshop Presentation of Concept Permission to Proceed

Early 2012 Public Hearing on Ordinance Presentation of Final Ordinance to BCC for Ratification

Spring through Winter 2012 Implementation Phase Minimum Six Month Grace Period

Early 2013 Fully Operational

Proposed Fine Schedule

After the three (3) free false alarms within a twelve (12) month period, fines will be imposed as follows: Fines for false alarms four (4) through six (6)

will be fifty ($50.00) dollars each. Fines for false alarms seven (7) though nine (9)

will be one hundred ($100.00) dollars each. Fines for false alarms ten (10) and above

will be two hundred ($200.00) dollars each.

County Fines Comparison Red-OC Proposed Fines Gold- Higher Blue-Lower

False Alarm #

BREVARDCounty

PINELLASCounty

BROWARDCounty

ALACHUACounty

Orange County

1 0 0 0 $ 25 02 0 0 0 $ 25 03 0 $ 75 $ 50 $ 50 04 $ 50 $ 100 $ 50 $ 50 $505 $ 75 $ 150 $ 50 $ 100 $506 $ 100 $ 300 $ 50 $ 100 $507 $ 200 $ 500 $ 50 $ 200 $1008 $ 200 $ 500 $ 50 $ 200 $1009 $ 200 $ 500 $ 50 $ 400 $10010 $ 200 $ 500 $ 50 $ 400 $200

Municipal Fines Comparison Red-OC Proposed Fines Gold- Higher Blue-Lower

False Alarm #

Winter Park Casselberry Maitland Jacksonville Orlando Orange County

1 0 0 0 0 0 02 0 0 0 0 0 03 0 0 0 0 0 04 $25 / $50 $ 100 $ 400 0 $ 50 $505 $50 / $100 $ 100 $ 250 0 $ 50 $506 $50 / $100 $ 100 $ 250 0 $ 50 $507 $50 / $100 $ 100 $ 250 $ 25 $ 100 $1008 $50 / $100 $ 100 $ 250 $ 25 $ 100 $1009 $50 / $100 $ 100 $ 250 $ 25 $ 100 $10010 $50 / $100 $ 100 $ 250 $ 25 $ 100 $200

Excused False Alarms

The Alarm Administrator will review false alarms and will be authorized to excuse alarms which result from causes outside the control of the owner; including inclement weather, electrical outages, etc.

The Alarm Administrator may also excuse alarms if the alarm owner provides proof that the false alarm was due to a system malfunction which has been repaired.

Implementation It is anticipated that the program will require a

minimum staff of two (2) persons who will be located at the Sheriff’s Communication Center.

Software will need to be purchased to track the false alarm calls and to generate notices.

The Orange County Board of County Commissioners will process and receive all fines generated by the ordinance.

Any disputes about false alarms which can not be resolved by the Alarm Administrator may be appealed to the Director of Emergency Communications.

Development of Program

The Sheriff is entering into a contract with Lisa Strano, hiring her as a temporary employee during the development stage of this program.

Ms. Strano managed the City of Orlando’s False Alarm program for almost 15 years and has recently retired from the City.

The Sheriff believes having someone with Ms. Stano’s extensive knowledge will expedite the development phase and help to avoid possible pitfalls in moving forward.

City of Orlando Experience

The City of Orlando enacted a false alarm ordinance in 1996.

In the fifteen years since the enactment of the ordinance, Orlando’s population grew from 173,122 to 238,300; an increase of 37%.

Over the same period, the number of false alarms shrank by 43% from 25,196 to 14,324.

Impact on OCSO Calls for Service

False Alarm calls often require more than one responding unit due to the potential danger.

Based on national averages, false alarm calls take approximately 12 to 20 minutes to clear per responding unit.

If Orange County experienced a decrease similar to Orlando, the number of False Alarms would drop from 50,000 to 28,500. 

Depending on the number of responding units,  approximately 4300 to 14,300 Deputy hours would be saved.

http://www.popcenter.org/problems/false_alarms/2

Anticipated Outcomes

It is anticipated that the ordinance will result in a significant reduction in the number of false alarms.

This reduction will effectively increase the number of “deputy hours” available to respond to legitimate calls for service.

In today’s economy, law enforcement must maximize the use of technology and increase the efficient use of resources.

The Sheriff is dedicated to this philosophy.