Police - Alarm System Information
If you have recently installed an alarm system, an Application to Operate an Alarm System must be filed with the North Castle Police Department together with the $25.00 annual application fee. If you need an application form and your installing alarm company has not supplied one to you, contact Barbara Minnitte who handles all alarm-related issues at (914) 273-2835.
If you are a new resident at a location with an existing alarm system, you must notify the NCPD Alarms Department so that records can be updated to reflect accurate information for your location.
If you are contemplating installing an alarm system or changing alarm companies, contact Ms. Minnitte for a list of alarm companies eligible to conduct business in the Town of North Castle because they possess a New York State Alarm Business license. If you should decide to do business with a company not on our list, you must ascertain whether they have this license. If the business is not licensed, it is in violation of New York State General Business Law, Article 6D, The Business of Installing Servicing and Maintaining Security or Fire Alarm Systems, and a complaint will be filed with New York State, possibly subjecting the principals to a fine, imprisonment or both.
If you have an alarm system in use, it is your responsibility to inform your alarm company and/or central monitoring agency of any address change or correction.
It is vitally important to your safety and well-being to have your house number clearly displayed for proper alarm response and 911 emergencies. It is imperative that your displayed number is the correct number for your location.
Some corrective measures that you can take to eliminate some false alarm situations are:
1. Train all persons that have access to your location in the proper use of your alarm system. Instruct those individuals how to use your security code and password if you have determined that they are the personnel responsible for alarm activation at your location. For example, our records show that housecleaning personnel are often responsible for setting off alarms.
2. If false alarms have occurred which are not attributable to human error, the cause may be due to an equipment malfunction in your alarm system. Should that be the reason, contact your alarm installer to repair any deficiencies.
3. For those systems with battery back-ups, periodic checkups of your batteries to ensure that they are in operable condition will help to avoid false alarms caused by power outages and/or surges.
It is extremely helpful to police responding to your alarms to know of at least two reliable local keyholders who have access to your location and who have your security code and password.
If you need any additional information about alarms, call Barbara Minnitte of the Alarms Department at (914) 273-2835.
