ATTLEBORO -- City officials hope a proposed ordinance will stem a deluge of false burglar alarms that needlessly tie up police and make the city less safe.

The law would impose fines and, as a final resort, would cut off police response on repeat offenders.

The intent of the ordinance is to prompt more care in using the alarms.

City Councilor Kim Allard, who authored the measure with input from the police and the city's legal department, said each false alarm wastes 30 minutes to an hour of a police officer's time, which pulls crucial manpower off the street.

At least 2,600 burglar alarm calls come in annually, and Allard said more than half of them are false alarms, pulling cops off patrol for at least 650 to 1,300 hours a year. `` It's a big strain on them,'' said Allard, the chairwoman of the public safety committee. `` They don't have enough officers as it is.''

The nine-page law also requires alarm owners and alarm companies to register with the police department and provide the names of two persons or `` key holders'' who can get to a home or business within 25 minutes in an emergency.

The law also seeks to give cops an edge when they respond to alarms.

Forms to be filled out by property owners will give important information about a home or business to help officers if they need to enter the property.

That information is confidential and can not be made public, Allard said.

Property owners will be allowed to have three false alarms before penalties are imposed.

The law also includes exceptions for false alarms that are not the fault of the property owner, such as power failures or `` acts of God.''

However, a fourth false alarm will cost the owner $50, a fifth false alarm will cost $75 and a sixth false alarm will cost $100.

Seven or more false alarms would result in cancellation of a police response.

Allard said the goal isn't to get people to stop using alarms. It is to stop the careless and improper use of the devises, she said. `` We don't want to discourage people from using their alarms,'' she said. `` We just want them to use them responsibly.''

A public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for Tuesday, and if there is no opposition it will be put to a vote.

If passed, it would take effect on Jan. 1.

rdrtrdrsrdrw15rsp160 GEORGE RHODES can be reached at 508-236-0432 or at grhodes(at)(at)thesunchronicle.com.