January 16, 2007

In 2006, the Lumberton Township Police Department responded to over 1200 alarms. Less than 1% of those alarms turned out to be legitimate alarms. That leaves over 99% of the alarms false. With a minimum of two officers responding to each and spending an average of 30 minutes, this equates to over 1150 man hours. A majority of false alarms are preventable and are caused by many factors including: mechanical problems with the alarm system, human error, pets, etc.

The Police Department will continue to respond to every alarm, but we are asking your help in cutting back on the number of false alarms. The Township has an ordinance against having too many false alarms reported. The ordinance allows fines to be imposed against violators in amounts up to $1,000.00. The false alarms are costly in many ways, not just in budgetary concerns, but also in safety.

 

• Please have your alarm serviced on a regular basis to ensure that it is working properly.
• Instruct family members and anyone that may enter your property in an emergency on the proper procedure to arm/disarm the alarm.
• Should you leave pets indoors with motion sensors activated, please take care that they will not activate the alarm.

 

These few things will go a long way in preventing unnecessary alarms.

The Lumberton Township Police Department

False Alarm Notice - Print out - (PDF)