§ 8.36.010 — Legislative findings and purpose

8.36.010 Legislative findings and purpose.

The city council finds and determines that: A. The Sacramento police department receives more than twenty-six thousand (26,000) security alarm related calls each year, of which approximately ninety-seven (97) percent were false. B. Responding to false alarms endangers the public health and safety by preventing, diverting, or delaying public safety officers and emergency dispatchers from performing other important police services, such as answering calls for service, crime prevention, enforcement of laws, and investigating and solving crimes. C. The dangers of automobile collisions en-route to activated alarms, which further divert valuable public safety resources from regularly assigned duties, pose a further risk of harm to the public. D. Repetitive false alarms also disturb the peace and quiet of city inhabitants, and promote a complacent attitude in the community towards potential dangers. E. For the reasons stated above, the city council finds that false alarms are detrimental to the public health, safety, welfare, and the peace and quiet of the inhabitants of the city. This chapter is adopted to reduce the number of false alarms within the city. F. The city council finds and determines that the public interest, convenience, health, welfare, and safety require the regulation of alarm companies, alarm system subscribers, alarm systems, and alarm users within the city. G. The false alarm response fines fees established by this ordinance are not "taxes" under Proposition 26. The purpose of the false alarm response fines is not to secure revenue but to impose fines for violations of the law. (Ord. 2012-023 § 2)