DALLAS -- On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council repealed an ordinance that required private security officials to verify the validity of commercial burglar alarms before police respond.The repeal came by an 11-5 vote.Video
Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert pushed for the repeal and said the ordinance unfairly burdened Dallas businesses. But Dallas police argued to keep the ordinance on the books and said false alarms, before its implementation, were a tremendous waste of police time and resources.“It’s not a good policy from a number standpoint,” Leppert said. “It’s certainly not a good policy when you think about the message it sends to a city that wants to attract business.”Under the old policy, Dallas police had to receive verification of a break-in from a business owner before responding to an alarm. Police said the policy cuts down the time they spend responding to false alarms and that the burglary rate is down.Business owners said the policy encouraged crooks because they believed they had more time before police arrive.The burglar alarm industry said it'll work with the city to develop a new policy.
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