When Police Dispatch is notified of an alarm at a home or business, one or more police officers go to the scene to assess the situation. In the past, the majority of these alarms have been false – there was no criminal activity. A false alarm might be caused by a mechanical failure, an operator error, or even a motion sensor activated by a pet. On average, the El Cerrito Police Department responds to over 130 false alarms each month, and dispatchers and officers spend a total of at least 45 minutes on each call.

At present, when an alarm sounds, the dispatcher tries to notify the property owner to give them the option of going to the scene. However, officers often have to wait a while for the owner to arrive. When there is no current contact information, the officers spend even more time trying to locate a responsible person. 

The new law requires an "alarm user" (i.e. property owner, manager or resident) to obtain an alarm user permit which means they must file current information with the Police Department. With this information on file, officers should be able to quickly locate a property owner, manager, resident, or alarm company representative who can join the police in responding to the alarm call.

Even if you have had an alarm system for many years, you must now register with the Police Department.

The ordinance added fees for permit renewal, fees to cover responses to false alarms, and a fine for a false alarm from an unpermitted alarm system. There is no fee for police response to alarms triggered by criminal activity. Alarm users will be charged a fee for the second and subsequent false alarms.  See current rates for fees and fines.

The Police Department's response to alarms caused by criminal activity will not be affected in any way. The new ordinance will only address false alarms.



Questions can be directed to Administrative Lieutenant S. Bonini 510- 215-4424.