Citizens Pay Fines for False Alarms

Law enforcement responds to hundreds of calls a month when alarms go off, but only a small percentage turn out to be real intrusions.

Channel 2 News asked you on Facebook if you've been billed for a false alarm call. Julie Ideker responded, "Yes. I currently have 2 that I refuse to pay."

Dawn Marie Neddenriep said, "We have been charged the fee of the false alarm reduction... Hopefully our alarm company does its job by not contacting police BEFORE they contact us."

Deputy Chief Tom Robinson with the Reno Police Department says false alarms cost the city, taxpayers, and law enforcement time and money.

"We're asking for homeowners, who have an alarm to let us know immediately when they know it's a false alarm. Because that solves so many of the issues that we're faced with, we don't have to rush to send someone out," said Robinson. 

Back in the 90's, RPD says they responded to more than a thousand false alarm calls. That number has gone down since the ordinance came into place in 2006.

"A little over 400 a month on average, 70 percent on average are false," said Robinson. 

When an alarm is activated at your home, your alarm company calls two separate numbers to verify what happened before calling the police. If you don't answer these two numbers in time, they call the dispatch center to have police respond. But if the false alarm isn't caught by the time it reaches this point, even if you call the alarm company before the police get to your home, you will still be fined.

If it turns out to be a false alarm in Reno, the fine is $75 every time. In Washoe County, it's $100 for your first offense and that number goes up by 25 dollars every time. 

"We evaluate each of the cases on an individual basis," said Robinson. 

So if you think a fine isn't justifiable, you can call the Reno Police Department or the Sheriff's Office,  but it will cost you $25 to fight it. In the next Reno City Council meeting on the 28th, the city will be talking about the ordinance and whether to keep this method they use to handle false alarm fines.