Belvidere town council introduces fines for false alarms
By SSN Staff
Updated Mon June 20, 2011
BELVIDERE, Pa.—A June 6 story from the The Express-Times reports the Belvidere Town Council introduced an ordinance to combat false fire alarms.
If an alarm goes off three or four times in a year, it would result in a $50 fine for the owner, under the ordinance. The next four would be $75, and 10 or more would bring a $100 fine.
After two false alarms, the owner must submit a written report to the chief of police as to why the alarm keeps going off and what will be done to stop it, according to the ordinance.
The fines for intentionally causing a false alarm are steep. The minimum fine would be $100 and the maximum, $1,000. The ordinance also lists imprisonment or community service not to exceed 90 days as an alternative punishment.
The ordinance requires all alarm systems to be registered with Belvidere police -- for a $10 fee. Failure to register the alarm would result in a minimum fine of $50 and a maximum fine of $500.
The owner may be required to upgrade or remove an alarm system to meet the ordinance's requirements.
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