South Fulton passes tough false alarm ordinance

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - The City of South Fulton wants to cut down on the number of false alarms police officers have to respond.
The city council voted on Tuesday to approve an ordinance which would penalizing home and
business owners for repeated false alarms.
“This law will improve public safety and better allocate resources,” Deputy Police Chief Connie Rogers said. “We’ve hired approximately 70 police officers since September 2017. With the passing of the false alarm ordinance, those officers can spend more time responding to true emergencies.”
Right now, the city’s response time is between 16 and 17 minutes, Rogers said.
The ordinance gives two free passes for false alarms. The third would levy a fine for $100, a fourth would penalize $150, and more than seven false alarms would fine owners $500. After 10 or more false alarms in a year and police have the option to no longer respond to the location.
The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2020.
The city council also approved a lease for radios for public safety officers.