Police Commission members are considering strengthening the town’s ordinance on burglar alarms, a move which they expect would greatly decrease the number of false alarms to which police respond.

By reducing the number of false-alarm responses, police would have more time to respond to actual problems, according to Police Commission members.

Any changes in the existing burglar alarm ordinance would be subject to action by the Legislative Council.

The town enacted a burglar alarm ordinance in 1982, revising that law several times since then to adapt to changing conditions.

According to police department statistics, during the 2013 calendar year, police received 1,374 burglar alarms, of which only two alarms reflected actual burglaries in progress.

The number of alarms that police have received since 2007 has steadily decreased from 1,883 alarms in that year to 1,374 alarms in 2013.

During each of those seven calendar years, there were very few alarms that alerted police of burglaries in progress, ranging from a high of five alarms in 2007 to a low of two alarms in 2013.

Two experts on the issue of false alarms spoke to Police Commission members at their January 6 meeting.

The experts were Thomas Sweeney and Glen Mowrey, both of the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC), a group comprising burglar alarm manufacturers that wants to reduce the number of false alarms received by police departments. Both men are retired police officials.

In noting that more than 99 percent of the burglar alarms are false alarms, Police Commission Chairman Paul Mangiafico stressed that it is “a subject we can no longer afford to disregard.”

Mr Sweeney, who formerly was the police chief at the Bridgeport and Glastonbury police departments, said that the many false alarms received largely stem from human error, with some of those false alarms due to burglar alarm system problems.

While burglar alarms provide great benefits, they also have created a situation involving a great drain on police resources due to false alarms, he said.

A revamped burglar alarm ordinance for Newtown would set certain standards and list the responsibilities of alarm system users and alarm companies, he said. Enacting and enforcing such an ordinance could result in the number of alarms received decreasing by two-thirds, he said.

Police Commission member Joel Faxon said that based on statistics, the town police department spends roughly $100,000 annually in terms of responding to false burglar alarms, calculated from the amount of time expended on such activity.

Tighter management of burglar alarm systems would result in better control of police department resources, Mr Sweeney said.

A stronger burglar alarm ordinance is intended to result a more efficient use of police resources, according to Mr Mowrey, a retired deputy chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in North Carolina.

By not responding to so many false alarms, police would have the time to do proactive work, Mr Mowrey said. The highest hurdle in dealing with the false alarm problem involves educating the public about the problem, he added.

Mr Mangiafico asked that Mr Sweeney and Mr Mowrey return to Newtown to discuss the burglar alarm issue when the matter is being considered by the Legislative Council. Mr Mangiafico added he hopes that the Police Commission will submit the matter to the council for action.