SIAC continues to support the Georgia Electronic Life Safety & Systems Association (GLESSA), A-Com Security Co. LLM and Safecom Security Solutions in their petition challenging Sandy Springs, GA alarm ordinance. The ordinance holds alarm companies liable for their customers’ false alarms. The plaintiffs (GLESSA, A-Com and Safecom) seek a rehearing before all of the judges on the 11th Circuit (what’s known as an “en banc” hearing).
The Case Raises a Potential Concern for all Businesses
(SIAC Executive Director Stan Martin issued the following statement in response to the new filing.)
This case raises an issue that potentially could impact numerous businesses. The ruling makes it far too easy for a government entity to hold a business responsible for the actions of its customers even if the business does not have a responsible relationship with the customer’s conduct.
What is more significant to Sandy Springs taxpayers is that the city has embarked on expensive and needless litigation even though there has never been a showing that fining alarm companies is any more effective than fining alarm owners, which is the norm throughout the country. The city could have achieved its goal of reducing alarm responses without expensive litigation.
SIAC continues working closely with law enforcement agencies throughout the country to promote the model ordinance it helped create in partnership with leaders in the law enforcement community. When you consider that the cost of fighting a single bad ordinance can easily run into the six figures, supporting SIAC’s work at the local and national level remains a wise investment.
Extreme proposals such as passing customer fines to the alarm companies for payment will be vigorously opposed. We do support stopping response or requiring verification for law enforcement dispatch when applied only to chronic abusers. More than 1,000 communities nationwide are currently using the principles of the national model ordinance and that number continues to grow steadily each year.