Listen Now!  (10:18 Minutes)

Download the MP3  (3.5 MB)

• More LA Daily News Podcasts
• Podcast/iTunes FAQ
• Download the Latest iTunes Software

Burglar alarms cost city

Nearly 57,000 false burglar alarms went off last year in Los Angeles and generated $11.5 million in fines, but the LAPD collected just 60 percent of the money because its antiquated computer system can't track the location of the alarms.

Because of the 1990 s-era False Alarm System, the city lost $4.5 million last year, according to the Los Angeles Police Commission, the civilian board that oversees the department.

"It was never intended to be an accounting system," said Richard Tefank, the commission's executive director. "We're letting a lot of money slip through our hands."

Alarm calls overall increased about 2 percent last year, from 58,282 to 59,482, or 163 a day. About 97 percent of those were false alarms, and the most frequent offenders were shopping centers, including Northridge Fashion Center and Westfield Topanga mall. In the San Fernando Valley, 22,712 total alarms went off last year, down 1 percent from 2006   Read Full Article...