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�zemo�andunz TO: City Council John Godwin, City Manager FROM: Bob Hundley, Chief of Police SUBJECT: ALARM ORDINANCE DATE: March 11, 2013 BACKGROLJND: Burglary and robbery alarms are considered an asset to the prevention of criminal activity. Unfortunately, false alarms become a burden to the resources of law enforcement for the entire community. In 1985, the city council enacted an ordinance regarding emergency alarm systems in the city of Paris. The ordinance provided for a permitting process, a permit fee, a certain number of alarms to be responded to before being charges being assessed for that response. The ordinance encompassed fire, EMS and police response to emergency alarms and was administered by the fire department. There were complaints about the ordinance from the business community and evidently the enforcement and adherence to the ordinance waned. There has not been any enforcement of the ordinance that I am aware of for the past 25 or so years. STATUS OF ISSUE: An amended ordinance was brought before the council on February 25tn The council directed a committee be formed and bring back a revised ordinance by the council meeting on March 25th. Those that spoke against the amended ordinance were invited to join the committee and Councilwoman Cleonne Drake volunteered to head the committee. A meeting was held on March 7�" with local business owner Jeff Martin, Advance Alarm owner Zach Blount, Asst. Chief Randy Tuttle, Chief Hundley and Ms. Drake in attendance. Mike Boswell who owns Electron Security was invited but would not be able to attend for two and a half weeks. The attached revised ordinance was the result of this meeting. Here is a list of bullet points of changes to the ordinance of February 25tn: • Alarms are required to be registered with the police department, but no fee is charged. (No Change.) �_ 53