Q I recently moved into the city and want to install alarms at home and at my business. Do I need permits first and where do I get them?
A Permit applications are available at the Emporia Police Department, according to Interim Chief Mike Lopez.
The applicant must provide the following information: Name, address, telephone number, type of alarm to be installed and its location, name of the installer, address of the location where the device will be installed, and the names of three people to be notified in the event the alarm is activated.
The permits, which must be renewed annually, cost $25 each year, Lopez said.
Because of problems with false alarms provoked by weather, human error and other causes, the City of Emporia instituted a charge for false alarms a number of years ago.
Lopez said that alarm-permit owners are allowed three false alarms per year. After those three, the cost is $50 per call.
It is unlawful for anyone to install a police alarm, audible alarm, fire alarm, or system of such devices that activate at a private central alarm station or the Emporia Police Department, without first obtaining an alarm permit, he said.