In April, Amherst Town Meeting approved the False Alarm Fee Bylaw which assesses fees to owners of properties with repeated responses by the Amherst Police to false burglar alarms. This bylaw was recently approved by the Attorney General’s Office and fee assessments will commence April 1, 2009. The delayed implementation date of April 1, 2009, is to afford citizens ample time to work with their alarm vendors to repair or maintain malfunctioning systems. In 2008, there were 728 calls for alarms, all of which were false, that required 1,559 police responses. Of those false alarms, we responded to many of the same locations numerous times throughout the year.
The Amherst Police Department hopes that this bylaw will be an effective tool to encourage those repeat offenders to repair their faulty systems. The False Alarm Fee Bylaw addresses burglar or intrusion alarms only, and it does not include fire alarms or medical alert systems.
Beginning January 1, 2009, Amherst Officers that respond to false alarms will leave a written warning notice at the address advising the occupants of the bylaw violation and the penalties for repeat offenses in a 12-month period. As the fee assessments will begin on April 1, 2009, warning notices issued from January 1st through March 31st will not be considered a penalty.
Questions regarding the bylaw can be referred to the Amherst Police Department at 413-259-3000 or police@amherstma.gov. For frequently asked questions please visit our website, http://www.amherstpd.org/.
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