Article: NATICK CRACKS DOWN ON COSTLY AND DANGEROUS FALSE ALARMS

Police in Natick were on edge one recent night. A gas station had been held up by two men the previous night, and a home invasion had taken place two weeks before.

Then came something nobody needed: nine false burglary alarms.

Police say that false alarms, like those received in the early morning hours of Nov. 25, are a waste of officers' time and can be dangerous by lulling police officers into a false sense of security. And now they're cracking down on those responsible, using a decade- old bylaw.

In the past 11 months, the town averaged 170 false burglar alarm calls a month, putting it on track for almost 2,000 this year.

"We're trying to provide service without running from false alarm ...

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