Permits now required for police to respond to triggered alarms in Catoosa

The City of Catoosa is now requiring permits in order for police to respond to alarm calls.

This means if your alarm system is triggered, police will only show up if you’ve paid for a permit.

Officers said 95 to 98 percent of alarm calls they go to end up being false alarms anyway, so they’re hoping this cuts down on the waste of police resources.

Police said in two years of monitoring, many of the false alarms came from the same homes and businesses.

To be clear, Catoosa police said if someone calls 911 to say they witnessed a break-in, police will still come. They also want to point out you’re not required to have an alarm system, but if you do have one - and you want police to show up when it goes off - you’ll need to buy a permit.

The cost is $35 for residential permits and $75 for commercial permits.