Detroit police to stop responding to unverified burglar alarms

http://www.freep.com/article/20110816/NEWS01/108160449/Detroit-police-st...

In an effort to reduce the number of 911 calls that are false alarms, Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee Jr. announced Monday that the department no longer will dispatch officers to investigate a burglar alarm unless an occupant or the alarm company has verified an actual break-in.

Noting that 98% of the alarms that police officers respond to are false, Godbee said the department will require a verified response before sending officers to the location of the alarm. The new policy will take effect Monday

Citing a U. S. Department of Justice report, a department press release said verified response is a reliable practice toward eliminating waste and improving police service. Since 1991, approximately 30 police departments in the U.S. and Canada have adopted the policy, including Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Milwaukee and Madison, Wis., and Fremont, Calif

Thankfully I don't live in Detroit but you can bet other cash-strapped cities will adopt this policy if there's not much outcry from the public. I wonder why fines for false alarms aren't sufficient?