Ruidoso's code enforcement officers are cracking down on alarm companies, whose representatives are canvassing neighborhoods without a business license and are installing alarm systems without permits and assurances that they will comply with village rules.

 

Owners of companies based in Ruidoso are aware that permits are required as well as the need to make arrangements for someone to respond within a short period to any alarm and then notify the police, if law enforcement is needed. But Councilor Lynn Crawford said Tuesday during a council meeting that while two local companies (Mountain Alarm Systems & Security) follow the rules, the others have "800" numbers and commercials on T.V.

 

"I called one just to check it out and they have someone call you back and they will ship you the stuff," Crawford said. "They will contract with someone out of El Paso or Albuquerque or wherever and they come in and install it. They never mentioned to me getting a permit."

 

Village Community Development Director Bobbye Rose said she met with code enforcement officers, who operate out of the police department. "We are trying to get the information out to the public through the newspaper that we have an alarm problem and we have a alarm ordinance. You need to be registered. Anybody can't just come into the village and sell alarms."   Code enforcement is beginning to crack down and issue citations that carry fines, she said.

 

Crawford asked about the fine for false alarms or other infractions such as not arranging a local key holder or using an unlicensed company. Rose said she thought fines begin at $25, but go up substantially with a second or third false alarm.  

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Police Chief said the policy in place requires the alarm company to respond first to any alarm and if the person notes something suspicious, the police are called for backup.

 

CODE ENFORCEMENT CRACKDOWN

Code Enforcement Officer Chris Eisenberg said Thursday the first of a new approved letter is being sent to a homeowner today for a violation of the village alarm ordinance. "We send the letter to the property owner about a violation, because it is their responsibility." Fines could run up to $500, with 90 days in jail. "We will work with a homeowner any way we can, as long as they contact us and let us know they are trying to correct the situation," Eisenberg said.

 

The village ordinance requires that the person owning an alarm device register that system with the village planning administrator, and that the registration be renewed annually. The registration information must include the installer, the maintenance company, the monitoring company and the key holder to respond to alarms.

 

The law requires an alarm company to have a village business license, and to acquire that, the company needs a state license, a local address and phone number, and the company must have a 24-hour available key holder able to respond to an alarm within 15 minutes, Eisenberg said.

 

"We're working on a Facebook page to make the public aware of different village ordinances," he said.

 

When police are called about an alarm, if the company is not registered with the village, dispatchers give code enforcement officers a copy of the call, he said, "We just started this. I've been working on it a month. This morning, I received the first call card on an illegal alarm, so I am sending a copy of that to Planning and Zoning in village hall and they will notify the alarm company," he said.

 

Several different companies have representatives going door-to-door trying to sell alarm systems, he said. One named Vivint has a colorful van and has already been warned, but recently was sighted working some neighborhoods again, he said.  "Even ADT is not legal in Ruidoso," Eisenberg said. 

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IMPORTANT NOTE:  Mountain Alarm Systems is locally owned and operated, with a local addresses, phone, key holders and village business licenses.