New Haven Independent

The revisions sailed through the aldermanic Public Safety Committee Wednesday evening and is headed for a vote by the full Board of Aldermen Nov. 5.

The difference between this version and a previous one that kicked up controversy in July: Now the subscriber must register the alarm system with the police department.

The company that sells and services the alarm will not be required to be licensed by the city. The city must only verify that the alarm company is in “compliance with state licensing regulations for alarm businesses,” according to the revised ordinance.

“This puts more of the onus on the subscriber,” said alarm industry representative Bob McVeigh of Beacon Falls.

“This will make people more accountable and will allow us to take different steps to control the number of alarms we get,” said police spokesman Joe Avery (right in photo listening to Assistant Corporation Counsel Roderick Williams).

East Shore Alderman Alphonse Paolillo Jr. introduced an amendment requiring police to report to the aldermen on how the ordinance is working within 60 days after the end of the fiscal year. Paolillo said he would measure success by the amount of police department hours saved not chasing false alarms.

Avery said that both alarms that automatically call servicing companies and those that only set off a horn or bell must be registered. The registration is free, he said. The alarm administrator’s post set up by the ordinance will be filled with existing personnel, he said.

A new software program that will allow the police to keep track of the alarms and the number of false alarms is up and running, Avery said. Because the old and new systems are not compatible, even those alarms that are already registered must be re-registered within 90 days after the ordinance becomes law, he said.

People can begin that process immediately by contacting the police department and those who register from now will not have to re-register after the ordinance becomes law. Failure to register carries a $99 fine, according to the ordinance.
Information will be on the NHPD Web site soon, he said.

But first the proposal must be approved by the full Board of Aldermen.