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Article: Police Broaden Fines To Battle False Alarms; Offenses Can Cost Homeowners $1,000
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- February 24, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Howard County police, saying they're tired of responding to nearly
three dozen false alarms every day, will begin charging homeowners as
well as businesses.
Starting in April, if a home has more than two false alarms in a
12-month period, the owner will be charged $50 for the next alarm
blunder. The fine would increase incrementally after that, reaching
$1,000 for each incident after 15.
"Currently, 99 percent of alarms are false," said Pfc. David
Proulx, a Howard police spokesman.
In 2001, the Howard County Council passed a measure authorizing
the fines and announced that they would be enforced the next year.