According to online newspaper Gazette.net, Fredrick, Md., is considering a policy change that would place fines and require alarm registration for false alarm offenders.
The newspaper indicated that a Wednesday meeting led the way to a proposed ordinance aimed to control what is considered to be a 90 percent false alarm rate in the town.
The proposed ordinance would start charging for residential and commercial false alarms only upon the fourth false alarm call in a year, and the fines are relatively inexpensive compared to many fine structures being implemented around the country.
Residential false alarm calls would be fined just $25 for the fourth through the seventh call, then increasing to $50 each for the eighth, ninth and tenth, and $100 each for any additional calls after the tenth one. An inspection of the system could also be required for repeat offenders.
For commercial alarm customers, false alarm numbers 1 to 3 are covered at no change. False alarms 4-7 are billed at $50 each. Numbers 8-10 bill out at $100 each. Numbers 11-15 are charged $200 each and require an inspection of the system. The sixteenth and additional false alarms are charged $300 each.
The Gazette added that the worst false alarm offender was City Hall itself, with some 41 false alarms.