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PERMIT - FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OR REVENUE RAISING TRICK
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Ken
    We have one PD in North Florida, town of Palatka, that fines us if we attempt to dispatch on a customer that has not renewed their annual alarm permit.  Problem is we have no way of knowing if a customer has renewed or not.  Also they do not put a date of expiration on their permits and they use an outside company for billing and enforcement.
    This company tends to "not" bill people so they can fine them $100 when they have an alarm and their permit has expired.  Then they send us a bill for dispatch on the expired customer for $100.
It seems like a rip-off way of making $200.
Steve Hunter
Advanced Security & Communications
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RESPONSE
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    I doubt that an honest politician, if you can find one, will deny that whatever law enforcement benefits may accompany alarm permit fees and fines, it doesn't take long for the revenue raising benefits to become the prime motivating factor for the legislation.  I know we'll hear about how municipalities spend more for the permit and fine process than they take in.  I think that's a lot of bull.  You can manipulate financial figures to suit your purpose, especially a municipaltiy that has as its absolute prime directive to keep politicians and their family and friends in the patronage wheel of fortune.  
    No doubt permits and properly identifying subscribers and alarm conditions are very helpful to law enforcement.  Technology will only continue to assist in that regard.  People with alarms make it easier for those in the PD and FD doing their jobs, not harder, and no law enforcement or fire department could honestly argue that they could function as efficiently without alarm systems in their community, no matter how many false alarms they experience.  Alarms save lives and in our society saving one life [sometimes doesn't have to be a human life] takes precedent of almost all other considerations, financial or otherwise. insurance companies don't offer discounts to those who have burglar and fire alarms to promote the alarm business.  They do it because statistically those with alarms suffer less loss, indisputably because of the alarm services.  
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