The Village of Plandome passed a local law to fine residents for ‘false alarms’ and hosted a police-led seminar on crime prevention at a meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
The new law means that residents whose false smoke alarms require fire department responses three times within a one-year period will face a fine of $100, the board said.
“So, for the people who leave their toast in the toaster too long and the fire department responds, or the steam shower is going and the fire department has to respond – after several false alarms, there will be a fine,” said Mayor John “Jake” Kurkjian.
The village said some possible causes for these false alarms could be dust from construction, food on a stove, steam from a shower or battery change requirements in a smoke detector.
“It happens enough that we have been asked to address it,” Kurkjian said.
The village also hosted a seminar on crime prevention at the meeting. Nassau Police Department Chief Mark Vitelli and Problem-Oriented Policing Officer Ed Vilchez led the workshop.
Nine residents attended, with many asking questions about crimes they had heard about and commenting on measures they thought should be taken.
The officers advised calling 9-1-1 if anything seems suspicious so that police officers can address the issue. Vilchez said callers can be anonymous if they don’t feel comfortable giving their name.
“What it really comes down to, and you really got to hit it home, is the whole ‘See Something, Say Something,'” Vilchez said. “So if it’s two o’clock in the morning, we know you’re not going to wake up, but maybe your dog’s going to start barking, and maybe you can stick your head out the window, and get eyes on something.”
He advised residents who suspect they may be victims of a crime to get descriptions of whatever they can, “whether it’s the number of people, descriptions of clothing, a car, a plate – even if it’s the last two digits of a plate.”
Vitelli said officers like “something they could sink their teeth into.”
“We get paid well, we get trained well. We’re here 24/7,” Vitelli said. “And they like it. That’s the best part.”
