Torrance Municipal Code Art. 4 False Alarms

No person shall knowingly turn in a false alarm. This Section does not prohibit a test of an alarm system as permitted in advance by the Police Chief. Activation of audible alarm systems for one (1) second or less shall not be considered a false alarm.

a) A fee prescribed by resolution of the City Council shall be charged to the permittee of a particular alarm system for the fourth (4th) and each and every subsequent false burglary alarm in any twelve (12) month period.

b) No fee shall be charged to a permittee for the first three (3) false burglary alarms in a twelve (12) month period.

c) A fee prescribed by resolution of the City Council shall be charged to the permittee of a particular alarm system for each false robbery alarm.

(Amended by O-3366)

a) An alarm system and its location may be placed on a nonresponse status as defined in Section 38.1.2(i) for a period of six (6) months for the eleventh (11th) and any additional false alarms within any twelve (12) month period.

b) An alarm system and its location may be placed on a nonresponse status when any permittee fails to pay any fee imposed pursuant to this Chapter within thirty (30) days from the date said fee was imposed.

a) After each false alarm, the Police Chief shall notify the permittee in writing of the date and time that the Police Department responded to said false alarm. The permittee shall also be notified in writing in each instance of the number of false alarms of record attributed to that alarm system within the previous twelve (12) month period. The permittee shall further be informed in writing of the provisions of this Chapter and of any fee or nonresponse status to be imposed.

b) Within ten (10) days from the date of said notice, the permittee may present written evidence to the Police Chief that the alarm response in question was not in fact a false alarm as defined in Section 38.1.2(f), or that there was a justifiable reason for the activation of the alarm. If no such response is made by the permittee within said ten (10) day period, the Police Chief’s order shall be final. If the Police Chief determines that the alarm in question was not a false alarm, the alarm response shall not be counted against the permittee. The permittee shall be notified in writing of the Police Chief’s determination within ten (10) days of the receipt of a response from the permittee.

c) No false alarms shall be counted against the permittee that were the result of fire, earthquake, flood, acts of God or other natural disasters.

d) Nothing contained in this Chapter shall be construed to either require or prohibit a response by the Police Department to any alarm signal or to, in any way, regulate the discretion of the police chief in allocating police resources in the official performance of his duties.

e) When an alarm system is placed on a "nonresponse status" and the review by the Police Chief pursuant to the provisions of subsection (b) of this Section has been completed, the permittee may appeal the Police Chief’s nonresponse order to the Administrative Hearing Board in accordance with the procedure set forth in subsection (f) of this Section. The Police Chief’s "nonresponse status" order shall remain in effect pending the appeal unless stayed by action of the Administrative Hearing Board. The Administrative Hearing Board may affirm, modify or overrule the Police Chief’s order.

f) The hearing shall be conducted in accordance with the requirements of due process of law. The permittee shall have the right to be represented by counsel, to be appraised of the evidence of the false alarms, to offer evidence and to examine witnesses. The Administrative Hearing Board shall adopt rules of procedure for such purpose.

g) The decision of the Administrative Hearing Board may be appealed to the City Council pursuant to the provisions of Article 5 of Chapter 1, Division 1 of this Code.

After any false alarm caused by a malfunction of the alarm system, an alarm system permittee shall cause the alarm system to be repaired so as to eliminate such malfunction before reactivating the alarm. A person shall not reactivate such alarm until such repairs have been made.