When used properly, a security system can provide extra protection to your business or home.
Unfortunately, many police responses to alarms end up being "false alarms." Annually, Roseville Police receive more 1,200-1,300 alarm calls and a majority are false alarms.
The police send 2 squad cars to each commercial or residential security alarm incident. Each alarm is treated as a "true" call for police assistance until the alarm is determined to be a "false" alarm. Depending on the type of alarm, it can take up to an hour to find the cause of the alarm.
Roseville Police encourage businesses and property owners to make sure their security system is installed correctly. Most false alarms are because of technical issues with the security system or human error, like forgetting to disarm the system or leaving pets to roam into the motion sensors. The significant amount of time wasted due to false alarm calls is a common challenge faced by police departments across the U.S.
In 2011, the City of Roseville started to hold businesses and homeowners accountable for false alarms. If a property has 3 or more false alarm calls in a calendar year, then the property owner faces fines. Fines start at $100 and increase to $500 for 7 or more false alarm calls. The purpose of the fine is to discourage false alarm calls that drain police resources associated with the calls. If a false alarm occurs due to a technical issue with the security system, we recommend contacting the security alarm service provider to troubleshoot the problem.