New Jersey town could increase false alarm fines

False alarm fines could see a sharp increase in Cherry Hill, N.J., if city officials pass a measure that calls for maximum fine amounts to be bumped by $900.

According to published reports, the Cherry Hill Township Council unanimously agreed in a preliminary vote earlier this week to increase the maximum fine for businesses whose security systems regularly trigger false alarms from $350 to $1,250.

City officials say that false alarms are a drain on police resources and that an increase in the maximum fine amount for habitual offenders is a way to help the town recoup some of the losses incurred from repeatedly responding to bogus alarms.