Novato PD Profile - Con't

COORDINATOR COMMENTS

Other Contacts: Debbie Nelson - FAAP input

Revisions to their current alarm ordinance are with the City Attorney. All through the Model States Program, their false alarm policy has dealt with probation and suspension of response rather than fining for response. They do not have a registration process as of yet. They do accept cancellations. Staff sent out all letters to their "worst offenders". Throughout the program, they commented that they were receiving great compliance from the alarm companies.

The numbers are not so positive, however. A manual count of 1,098 false dispatches was made in 1997 compared to 1,613 using FAAP for 1998. This is an unrealistic increase of 47%. However, during 1995 staff reported 1,789 false dispatches. This reflects a reduction of 10% in 1998 compared to 1995. This seems more in line with their efforts to date. Once the revised ordinance is adopted, perhaps we will see better numbers.