Suffolk Police Ready Program That Will Bring Fines For False Alarms

By Janee Law

jlaw@longislandergroup.com

Suffolk County Police Department Second Precinct Inspector Christopher Hatton discusses a program that will soon fine residents and business owners whose burglar alarm systems are falsely triggered.

Starting June 1, Suffolk police will begin a process of fining residents and business owners whose burglar alarm systems are falsely triggered.

The alarm management program, which was approved as part of Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone’s county budget, will cost residents $50 to register residential systems and business owners $100 to register their businesses. Registration will open on April 1.

Regardless of whether or not a system is registered, residents and business owners will still be subject to fines for falsely-triggered alarms.

Suffolk Police Second Precinct Inspector Christopher Hatton said false alarms fines can be up to $500 for a registered location, and up to $750 for a non-registered location. Those who register will get a “warning” for the “first two false alarms at your home or business.

“User error, system malfunctions and environmental triggers are the leading causes of false alarms,” Hatton said during the monthly Second Precinct community meeting.

Hatton said that all seven Suffolk precincts responded to a collective 97,000 false alarms in 2015. This, he said, consumed over 32,000 patrol hours, costing the department more than $2.1 million.

“We’ve tried this in the past, now they’re going full steam ahead with this,” Hatton said.

For information on how to register, visit apps.suffolkcountyny.gov/police.