Police delay Honolulu police will hold off enforcement for at least another 30 days on a new city ordinance that would have required Oahu businesses and homeowners to register their security alarm systems by Aug. 25.
enforcing law
on alarm systems
By Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.com"In our estimation, the word hasn't gotten out to the people yet," said Lt. Michael Rehfeldt of HPD Records Division, which oversees the program.
"We need to spend more time notifying people because registrations are not coming in fast enough."
About 14,000 homeowners and businesses have registered with the HPD and an additional 11,000 are expected to register, Rehfeldt said.
Another reason for the delay is that the computer system, which is being upgraded for billing and tracking the alarm systems, is not ready.
"We want to make sure it's up to speed before we proceed with enforcement," Rehfeldt said. "We don't want this to be a van cam and have it fizzle out and die."
A $15 fee is required, with a $5 annual renewal fee. Police will fine parties who have more than three false alarms in a 12-month period. The fine is $50.
The charge will be waived if the violator attends an alarm education class administered by the police department.
"What we're looking at is a reduction of false alarms and to free up officers so they can respond to bona fide cases and calls for service," said Sgt. Jason Dela Cruz.
In the case of alarm calls, two officers are dispatched to the scene, Dela Cruz said.
"We treat it as a priority one case," he said.
Although not required, alarm companies have informed their customers of the new law by mailing notices, Dela Cruz said.
"I'm sure there are a lot of people that don't agree with that law," he said. "Probably the mentality is they're homeowners trying to protect their homes and they're being held accountable for trying to protect their homes, and it's the crooks that are causing the problem."
Many false alarms are caused by systems incorrectly installed by homeowners themselves, user error or initial installation problems, said Kevin Phillips, co-owner of Security Alarm Shop.
Dela Cruz said 60 percent to 70 percent of false alarms are due to user error, such as forgetting to reset the password and going into the house or forgetting to give a family member the new password.
But he said an alarm could be set off by a stray dog or cat or heavy winds.
Responding officers will classify the call as a false alarm if they do not determine any criminal property damage or burglary, Dela Cruz said.
"If there's any doubt, we're not going to bill people," he said.
