Number
040620
Version
SUBSTITUTE 1
Reference
Sponsor
ALD. BOHL AND ZIELINSKI
Title
Substitute resolution creating a task force to study the issues of false police and fire alarms and the City's policy on responding to private alarms.
Analysis
With this resolution, the Common Council creates a 7-member Private Alarm System Task Force which is directed to study the problem of false alarms from private alarm systems, and to analyze various policy options for responding to private alarms and for penalizing or charging alarm businesses or alarm users for false alarms transmitted to the City. The Task Force shall present its findings and recommendations to the Common Council no later that 90 days from the date of adoption of this resolution. This resolution also requests the Chief of Police to defer, at least until release of the findings and recommendations of the Task Force, implementation of the policy of responding to activated private alarms only after a "verified response" from a private party (which is scheduled to go into effect on September 19, 2004), and to continue the alarm-response policy currently in effect.
Body
Whereas, On July 15, 2004, the Milwaukee Police Department announced that, effective September 19, 2004, it will not respond to a private burglar alarm unless a "verified response" to the site of the alarm has been made by the alarm business or its representative; and
Whereas, The Police Department has made this policy change primarily to address the problem of false burglar alarms, which consume large quantities of police personnel resources and increase response times to more serious calls for police service (e.g., in 2003, the Police Department responded to over 27,000 false burglar alarms (96% of all burglar alarms), which consumed 13,623 unnecessary personnel-hours costing over $1.2 million); and
Whereas, The Common Council shares the Police Department's concerns about the number and rate of false burglar alarms and the public safety issues these alarms create; and
Whereas, Since the announcement of the change in the burglar alarm response policy, hundreds of Milwaukee residents have contacted Common Council members to express the concern that, under the new alarm policy, their personal safety or the security of their properties will be jeopardized because police will no longer automatically respond to activated alarms; and
Whereas, The Common Council also shares the concerns of its constituents regarding a possible decrease in public safety resulting from the change in the alarm response policy; and
Whereas, In response to either the false-alarm problem or the new alarm response policy, several Common Council members have proposed legislation to increase penalties or charges for police response to false burglar alarms or to codify the new "verified response" requirement; and
Whereas, The Common Council finds that it would be prudent to take a more deliberate approach to analyzing and responding to the false-alarm problem, and to making any related changes in penalties or alarm-response policy; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee, that a Private Alarm System Task Force is created and shall consist of 7 members: 2 Common Council members (appointed by the Common Council President), the Chief of Police or the Chief's designee, one representative of the Wisconsin Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (appointed by the Common Council President), one representative of the Milwaukee Police Association (appointed by the Common Council President) and 2 members of the community at large (one appointed by the Common Council President, the other by the Mayor); and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Common Council President shall designate the chair of the Task Force; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Task Force is directed to study the problem of false alarms from private alarm systems, and to analyze various policy options for responding to private alarms and for penalizing or charging alarm businesses or alarm users for false alarms transmitted to the City; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Task Force is further directed to present its findings and recommendations to the Common Council no later that 90 days from the date of adoption of this resolution; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Chief of Police is requested to defer, at least until release of the findings and recommendations of the Task Force, implementation of the policy of responding to activated private alarms only after a "verified response" from a private party, and to continue the alarm-response policy currently in effect.
Requestor
Drafter
LRB04346-2
JDO
09/02/04