Although burglar alarms are quite useful, they can cause irritation or harm if used incorrectly. For this reason, many states, counties, and municipalities have certain rules and regulations that must be followed before you install your alarm. You might wonder why your local government might delay you in protecting your house from a burglar, but there are many different reasons why alarms and alarm installation requires regulation.
For instance, many municipal and county governments have passed laws requiring permits to install alarm systems that automatically contact the police. Burglar alarms of this nature need to be inspected so that the likelihood of false alarms is as low as possible. Otherwise, the police would be distracted by responding to these false alarms instead of capturing an actual burglar.
Likewise, there would be a conflict of interest if one of these alarms were to be installed in a crack house or some other place of ill repute. The police, as upholders of the law, shouldn’t be protecting drug dealers from burglary, if you see what I’m saying. Large urban areas are most likely to have permits requiring burglar alarms
Likewise, there’s the issue of commercial burglar alarms. Several areas around the country require that all commercial buildings be equipped with an alarm system of some kind. Many cities concerned with the “broken windows” philosophy of urban management have policies like this. Essentially, if one building is successfully broken into, there’s a higher chance that other buildings might fall prey to a burglar. Also, by encouraging businesses to use burglar alarms, local governments are assisting in lowering insurance costs for the commercial space.
Other areas might require landlords to provide security systems for their tenants. The idea here is that renters will otherwise have to bear the full burden if they are victims to a burglary. In the same vein, renter’s insurance rates are higher. By requiring rental properties to have burglar alarms, properties will seem more attractive to prospective renters.
So, the best thing to do before you install a burglar alarm is to check the regulations in your area. Local statutes regarding the installation of alarms are usually easy to find on the internet. Many legitimate installation companies are also aware of local laws regarding alarms, given that they’ll run into legal trouble should they install an alarm system that does not accord with local laws. So, you definitely don’t want that.
Photo via OECD
