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Odessa’s New Alarm Registration Fee Clarified
Odessa’s New Alarm Registration Fee Clarified 1/8/13
Matt Rist
CBS 7 News Reporter
January 8, 2013
mrist@cbs7.com
Odessa – New information on Odessa’s alarm registration fee. We reported that the city will begin to charge its 10,000 registered alarm owners a fee.
Police say they want to clarify the cost of registering an alarm. It’s $25 for businesses and $20 for residences for the first year and $20 for businesses and $15 for residences in the years following.
Owners face a $500 fine if the new ordinance is not followed.
“If they have an alarm as long as that alarm does not go off and require police to respond, then we can't control it,” said Odessa Police Public Information Officer Sherrie Carruth. “It's only when that alarm goes off and it requires police and fire or any type of first responder response, then they will be fined.”
Odessa joins a number of other Texas cities that charge alarm fees—including Midland and Lubbock. However, Lubbock police only charge owners after responding to three false alarms.
It will take at least until the end of the year to notify alarm owners of the changes. If you’re not sure of the registration status of your alarm, you can call Odessa Police records at (432) 335-3325.