L.A. task force approves three strikes rule
By Andrea Gura
Updated Thu April 17, 2003
April 17, 2003
LOS ANGELES - Two committees of the City Council voted Tuesday to accept a false alarm proposal that would give alarm owners here three false alarms before police would not respond under the city’s controversial verified response policy.
In a unanimous vote, members of the Public Safety Committee and the Education and Neighborhood Committee accepted a 45-page report prepared by a task force. That 19-member group was formed to study alternatives to the Los Angeles Police Department’s policy of not responding to burglar alarms unless the alarm was verified.
"This was quite a turnaround," said Jerry Lenander, executive director of the California Alarm Association. "Some council member who had supported the (verified response) policy in the beginning now supported unanimously the adoption of the recommendation."
Lenander estimated that city councilors would hear the committees’ recommendations within the next two weeks. In turn, the council will make a recommendation to the police commission about the policy.
Police approved the response policy in January and were set to implement it on Tuesday, but decided to hold off until after the task force presented its report, officials said.
In late March, the Greater Los Angeles Security Alarm Association filed an injunction in court to block the verified response policy. A trial date has been set for May 8.
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