THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 5, 1995 TAG: 9511030203
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Short : 48 lines
False alarms have long plagued the city of Suffolk. And after years of not charging fees for these false reports, the city has remained frustrated - up to now.
At the urging of the City Council, a public hearing is scheduled for Nov. 15 to allow comment on a proposed policy to charge for false alarms to both police and firefighters.
If passed, the ordinance will allow the city to charge alarm system operators a $30 registration fee. The policy is not expected to go into effect until Jan. 1, 1996.
Under the proposed ordinances, a false alarm is considered any call to Suffolk police ``which is not reasonably believed to be in response to actual or threatened criminal activity.''
A false alarm for fire officials is any alarm ``which results in the response of the fire department caused by the negligence or intentional misuse of the alarm system; malfunction of the alarm system; or any other activiation not caused by heat, smoke or fire.''
False alarms triggered by severe weather or beyond the control of the alarm system will not be fined. The chief of police or designer of the alarm system will help determine if a false alarm should be fined or not.
For police, the first false alarm will result in a written warning to the alarm system owner. After that, a second false alarm will cost $25; a third false alarm will cost $100; each subsequent false alarm will also cost $100.
Service fees for a false alarm to fire officials are much heavier. If an engine company is called out, the fee will be $60 per hour, per vehicle. A ladder company brings with it a fine of $65 per hour, per vehicle. Personnel will cost a false alarm $10.50 per hour.
The city's finance department will be responsible for levying the fees.
Because of the size of Suffolk, the proposed fees are being created to help the fire and police departments dissuade residents from calling for non-emergency reasons.
Councilman J. Samuel ``Sammy'' Carter, a former Suffolk fire chief, has said in the past that the fire department was regularly called by residents for rides to the hospital because residents did not have cars and did not want to pay cab fare. by CNB