WWPD wants to register burglar alarms
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, June 16th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – Registering burglar alarm systems with the Walla Walla Police Department is now free and so is updating the registration information. Knowing how to reach the responsible parties when a burglar alarm goes off helps police keep people, their property, and responding officers safe.
The city council recently passed a new ordinance stating the most critical component is to obtain contact information in times of alarm activation. By encouraging alarm system owners to update their contact information with their alarm system provider and with the WWPD, the city hopes to have fewer false burglar alarms.
The city defines a false alarm as a non-emergency or accidental activation of an alarm system that results in a response by the police and/or fire department. Around 70 to 80 percent of alarm activations turn out to be false alarms. That creates not only additional manpower costs, but also is dangerous because they divert police officers and firefighters from crime prevention efforts and can slow or deny response to true emergency calls.
WWPD said that people who set their alarm off accidentally should not panic. Enter the disarm code to reset the system and wait for the alarm company or monitoring station to call. Do not call 911 to report a false alarm activation.
