BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

                                                                                                                                           H.B. 1784

                                                                                                                                      By: Haggerty

                                                                                                                                      Urban Affairs

                                                                                                       Committee Report (Unamended)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Recently, the City of Dallas attempted to move to a verified alarm response program.  Law enforcement officers stated that over 98% of the burglar alarms that they respond to are false alarms.  The City maintains that this situation takes law enforcement officers off the streets for no good reason.

 

The City suggested a change to its burglar alarm response policy so that police would still respond to a panic button alarm or to an alarm verified by a witness or video camera monitoring system.

 

City officials say that alarm customers were contacted by the alarm companies and asked to oppose the proposed municipal ordinance.  However, they say that the City was not allowed to inform the alarm customers as to the specifics of the proposal due to current State law which does not permit cities to contact the list of alarm customers provided to the City by the alarm companies.

 

House Bill No. 1784 would grant municipalities the authority to notify permit holders that a permit holder may contract with a security services provider licensed by the Texas Private Security Board to respond to an alarm.  Such notice must include the board's telephone number and Internet website address.

 

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

It is the committee’s opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rule making authority to a state officer, department, agency or institution.

 

 

SUMMARY ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Section 214.199, Local Government Code, and SECTION 2. Section 1702.284, Occupations Code, are amended by adding language that would require the city to notify occupants who have burglar alarm systems if the city is proposing to move to a verified burglar alarm response policy and would allow the city to notify permit holders that they have the option to contract with a security services provider licensed by the Texas Private Security Board to respond to their alarm.  Cities would be allowed to use the list of alarm customers residing within their cities for notification purposes.

 

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

This Act takes effect September 1, 2007.