About Sandy Springs reporter. (Sandy Springs, GA) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2019)
4 | Public Safety Facebook.com/TheReporterNewspapers ■ twitter.com/Reporter_News Some residents fear burglar alarm verification’s privacy, safety impacts BY EVELYN ANDREWS evelyn@reporternewspapers.net Some Sandy Springs residents fear a burglar alarm verification requirement tak ing affect this June will jeopardize their privacy and safety. The city is currently ed ucating residents and finalizing protocols for residents and companies to send the video and audio it will require before responding to a security alarm. “Fundamentally, it jeopardizes the safety of our families and other residents,” said Darryl Laddin, a resident and lawyer opposing the city’s alarm ordinance. “This ordinance is a big step backwards.” The city’s new alarm ordinance shifted fines for repeated false alarms to the se curity companies who service the alarm systems, rather than residents and busi ness owners who use them. In 2018, the city added a requirement for alarm compa nies to provide direct confirmation that a burglar alarm call is a real crime - with audio or video devices or in person - before calling 911. That provision takes effect June 19. The city says it gets thousands of alarm calls a year, of which about 99 percent are false, tying up police officers and firefighters and costing enormous sums of money. “We want to reduce the number of false alarms which unnecessarily tie-up pub lic safety personnel and resources, so that our public safety personnel can focus on patrol and activities that are proven to help keep a community safe,” city spokesper son Sharon Kraun said. The city is also working on finalizing the protocols for how companies will send the audio or video that verifies an alarm, which is expected to be an email, Kraun said at the April 2 City Council meeting. “We’re trying to make it as simple as possible,” she said. Mayor Rusty Paul said at the meeting that the ordinance will “bring a higher lev el of safety to the city.” Laddin said he believes in nearly every case there’s a chance verification won’t work. Some can’t afford the equipment or won’t understand how to operate it, he said. If a resident is using a self-monitoring system, they may not always be able to get to their phone to verify, such as if the phone is dead or if a criminal has tied them up, he said. If the company is monitoring the system, the cameras or speakers may not cover the entire property and detect the criminal, Laddin said. “This is sending a terrible message to the criminals,” he said. “It is not the right answer to deter crime.” Barbara Brightwell, another resident, said she will no longer feel protected if she does not have a way to verify the alarms, but doesn’t feel comfortable with cameras in her home. She’s looking into other options, like monitoring only the audio or us ing a private guard service. “It’s an invasion of privacy,” she said. “Why can’t the city just fine me?” In an update at the meeting, Kraun said the city was continuing to work on ed ucating residents and companies about upcoming requirement. Part of that educa tion is one what options they have that may save them costs, she said. Some residents have called the city reporting that companies are quoting them “shocking” prices. People have been quoted $3,000, $1,000 and $850 from different companies to install verification equipment, she said. A self-monitoring system, like the popular Ring or Nest devices, can save mon ey and help with privacy concerns because an alarm company won’t be monitoring the feed, Kraun said. “So there are different ways you can do it to keep it within your budget and also to make you feel comfortable,” she said. The costs can be a burden on some, said Brooke Dickerson, another resident op posing the ordinance. “I don’t think that’s appropriate. Not everyone can afford that,” she said. Dickerson would rather the city raise fines to cover the police’s expense. “We have to come up with a way to help pay for the extra costs, but I just don’t think is it,” she said. While the city does incur a cost responding to the alarms, it’s a fraction of the city’s budget, Laddin said. “I’m hopeful the City Council will see the light and reverse this,” Laddin said. Mows & Miwosds joy a ladies' morning together on us! Hiave your nails polished i while sipping pn refreshing Mimosas Monday May 13 th 10:00 a.m. unity. at our new comm ■m THE MANSIONS -at- SANDY SPRINGS 7 I ASSISTED LIVING & MEMORY CARE RSVP required by May 8 th (470) 338-5064 or JBatterman@TheMansionsatSandySprings.com www.TheMansionsatSandySprings.com 7300 Spalding Drive Peachtree Corners. GA 30092 (near Winter's Chapel) s i mi i M A jr s I ss
