Suffolk County has begun a county-wide Alarm Management Program. The Suffolk County alarm law began June 1, 2016. It requires residents to register their alarm systems.
Why? The statistics are stark. False alarms cost county tax-payers more than $2 million dollars last year.
Suffolk County police responded to almost 98,000 false alarms in 2015. That’s 32,000 patrol person hours. The cost of those hours, aggregated, accounts for the $2 million in costs. Hence, the Suffolk County alarm law is born.
Moreover, false alarms are highly preventable. They are not usually caused by pranks. The three primary causes of false alarms are user error, system malfunctions and environmental triggers. The latter include dogs or other pets inadvertently setting off the alarms, or even curtains whose motion activates the alarm.
To comply with Suffolk County alarm law and the alarm registration regulations, you will need to register your alarm system. Use this link for access to the permit application. The registration fee is $50 for homes and $100 for businesses.
Any locations not registered will be accessed a service charge (fine) for the first false alarm. Registered locations will be allowed 2 false alarms before they are assessed any fines. After that, homes will be assessed $100 and businesses $150; and the fines rise sharply for subsequent calls.
Suffolk County police recommend that you secure any items in your home or business that might be sensed by your alarm system and “read” as a potential intruder. Taking steps to train any user you doesn’t know the system, such as visiting family members or baby-sitters, will also cut down on the potential of the alarm being triggered.
