ALARM MONITORING INFORMATION

It has come to the attention of the Community Association that there are numerous expired alarm permits within Boca Pointe. It is extremely important to have and maintain a valid alarm permit with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. 

The Sheriff’s Office will not respond to a burglary alarm if there is no permit on file at the monitoring station or if the permit has expired. More importantly, it is a violation of County Ordinance # 2002-013 to operate a burglary alarm system without a valid permit and you could be subject to civil fines.

The application for a Burglar Alarm Permit can be downloaded from the Sheriff’s Office website at www.pbso.org in the Alarms Unit section. There is also a link to the permit application at www.bocapointe.com. Mail the completed application and the application fee to Alarm Partners 1025 NW 17^th Ave. A-1 Delray Beach, FL. 33445.

There are also a number of people who have not engaged the alarm monitoring service. Boca Pointe operates under a bulk contract with Alarm Partners and all residents are entitled to level of service contracted, this includes monitoring and a certain amount of maintenance of your alarm system. The cost is covered in your maintenance fees. If you wish to activate your alarm system contact Alarm Partners at 1-800-330-5056. If you have questions you can also contact Residenet Services at the Community Association at 561-395-7551

FALSE ALARMS

According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office 98% of alarm dispatches are false alarms. Below is an overview of how an alarm system with a valid permit operates and what you should do if you accidentally activate your alarm. This information was obtained from www.pbso.org.

         1. Understand how the police are called.

1. When your alarm activates, the alarm panel will 'seize' your telephone line and dial the central monitoring station. During this time, you cannot use your telephone, nor can you receive incoming phone calls.
2. A signal is transmitted to the central monitoring station computer. It will identify your alarm account and type of signal (burglar, panic, fire).
3. The alarm monitoring company must call your premises to see if the alarm is a false alarm before they call for police assistance. This is a Florida law. Panic alarms are the exception.
4. If the alarm monitoring station does not receive an answer, or the wrong password is given, the monitoring company will notify the police.
5. The police are dispatched to your premises.
6. The monitoring station will then contact the Boca Pointe dispatch and the remainder of your contact list to notify a contact person of the alarm

The amount of time it normally takes for the police to be notified of your alarm can vary, but three to four minutes is average.

2. If you accidentally activate your alarm:
   1. Wait for the alarm company to call your premises.
   2. Have your password available.
   3. Do not leave your premises until you are sure the police are cancelled. Cancellations can only be made by the monitoring company, not the alarm user.

Only those who know how to operate your alarm should have a key to your premises. Service providers such as housekeepers, pest control, and neighbors cause many false alarms.

Fine Structure

During each permit year, the sheriff’s office will respond to the first alarm for free. The 2^nd false alarm is a $50.00 fine and the 3^rd through 6^th false alarm is a $250.00 fine each. The sheriff’s office will terminate response for all subsequent false alarms for a period one year after the 6^th false alarm.