| 113th Year, 25th Issue | Thursday, January 31, 2002 | Sparta, North Carolina |
The Alleghany County Sheriff's Department is looking for answers on false alarm calls after responding to 310 of them last year alone. The department received 311 alarm calls in 2001, with only one of them, an attempted arson at Country Junction, being an actual emergency need.
"We have to go check them all out," Sheriff Mike Caudill said. "It isn't that we mind checking on properties, but we have a small staff and these false alarms can cause a deputy patrolling in one area to drive all the way across the county before realizing that the call is not legitimate."
The county commission enacted an ordinance to deal with alarms in the 1970s, empowering the sheriff's department to charge homeowners $25 for each false call answered. However, that is not enforced, Caudill said.
"We don't want to deter anyone from utilizing an alarm system," Caudill said. "When an alarm is properly set, properly maintained and in good working order, it is an asset to both us and the property owner."
|
Get the rest of this article in this week's issue of the Alleghany News! Back |