LIHU‘E — If the Kaua‘i County Council approves a recommendation from its Public Safety Committee, it may get a bit costlier to have a home or residential alarm system, as a $150 permit and an annual renewal fee of $50
LIHU‘E — If the Kaua‘i County Council approves a recommendation from its Public Safety Committee, it may get a bit costlier to have a home or residential alarm system, as a $150 permit and an annual renewal fee of $50 are being considered.
And if the alarm goes off without a real threat three times in 12 months, it could cost home or business owners an additional $150. Additionally, an unregistered alarm system could cost $250 for each false alarm offense.
But why all this noise?
Just like in Aesop’s fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” the vast majority of emergency calls from businesses and residential premises on Kaua‘i are false alarms, according to Bill 2435. But unlike in the ancient Greek fable, in which the townfolks eventually ignore the young shepherd’s false calls for help, the Kaua‘i Police Department responds to each call, even if they repeatedly come from the same places.
“I think a lot of the problems arise from our transient vacation rentals that are vacant,” said Councilman Mel Rapozo, explaining that when an alarm goes off in vacant homes, the officers respond to the call but there is no one there and no contact number.
Bill 2435, unanimously approved by the Public Safety Committee on Wednesday, aims to reduce the “danger and annoyance associated with false alarms and to encourage business and residential owners to use and maintain their alarm systems properly.”
The false alarms are the result of improper maintenance, faulty equipment or improper or careless use of an alarm system, according to the bill.
Rapozo said the bill was crafted out of a concern from the KPD about the high volume of alarms repeatedly and unnecessarily going off and taking away time from police officers who could be doing something else.
Rapozo said Bill 2435 does not create a new position within KPD, but Council Vice Chair JoAnn Yukimura was concerned that the bill would create the need for a new position down the line.
After consulting with KPD, Rapozo said there is a vacant 19-hour-per-week position at KPD, soon to be filled, which would be used to administer permits.
However, KPD Chief Darryl Perry, in a written communication dated July 16, said he could not respond to the council’s question about how many alarm systems are on Kaua‘i.
“We do not have this information as we are not aware of any company that keeps these records on Kaua‘i,” he wrote.
Perry also said that Maui County and the City and County of Honolulu have similar ordinances including fees and fines, although Kaua‘i would charge more for the permits.
Perry said Honolulu’s ordinance was enacted in 2002, and since then the number of false alarms has dropped. Currently, the Honolulu Police Department receives about 24,000 calls per month, and in 2011, it collected $159,450 in fees. In 2010, HPD collected $215,575, and in 2009, it collected $231,300, according to Perry.
The ordinance approved Wednesday by the Parks and Recreation Committee gives alarm owners the opportunity to have two false alarms within a 12-month period. The fines only kick in after the third false alarm, and such fines could be contested in court.
Perry said that about 5 to 7 percent of the fines in Honolulu are contested.
The city of Phoenix, Ariz., has a similar ordinance which gives offenders only one chance for a false alarm in 12 months. Phoenix’s fines are lower — it cost $96 for a false burglar alarm activation — but they also have a false fire alarm ordinance, which slaps a $105 fine for second and subsequent false alarms within one year. Phoenix requires owners of burglar and fire alarms to register with city officials, and non-compliance generates a fine equivalent to a false alarm fine if an alarm is activated.
The major difference between Phoenix and Kaua‘i is that the Phoenix Police and Fire departments offer a False Alarm Prevention Program for alarm users. The program provides reasons for alarm activation and ways to prevent them.
Additionally, the program includes information for alarm users and includes a certificate waiver for either the false burglar alarm or the false fire alarm fines, according to the official Phoenix government website.
The full council convenes again next Wednesday, and the agenda may include Bill 2435 for a second and final reading.
Visit www.kauai.gov for more information.
∫ Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@thegardenisland.com