COOS COUNTY — The Coos County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday announced that it would begin enforcing a county ordinance concerning alarms on Friday.
"The ordinance will affect all county residents in the unincorporated areas of Coos County that currently have residential, business and panic alarms and those planning on purchasing any of these types of alarms in the future," according to the statement.
Alarm owners and would-be owners will be required to seek a permit, which will cost $20 and be valid for four years. The county will waive the fee for applicants 65 and older, but the permits are non-transferable.
Applications can be found online at www.co.coos.or.us or at the Coos County Sheriff's Office in Coquille.
Current alarm owners will have a three-month grace period, ending on March 31, 2016.
If the Sheriff's Office responds to an unpermitted alarm, the owner will be assessed and levied a fine.
Sgt. 1st Class Pat Downing said that fine will be progressive, increasing with each violation. Downing said fines also will be based on whether the alarm was a false one. Although the ordinance has been on the county's books since 1994, Downing said it previously had been unenforceable.Â
False alarms were a big part of why the sheriff's office sought to give the ordinance teeth.
"We're spending a lot of time answering alarms that are false," Downing said.
Reporter Andrew Sheeler can be reached at 541-269-1222, ext. 234, or by email at andrew.sheeler@theworldlink.com. Follow him on Twitter: @andrewsheeler.
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Just FYI - the application for the Alarm Permit is IMPOSSIBLE to find on the County Web page. Since this new filing requirement likely affects quite a few existing alarms, it would be good if a link could be found, at least by using the search box!
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