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False Alarms Will Cost You

Wed, 02/12/2025 - 21:51

The East Hampton Village Board targeted false fire-alarm scofflaws at a special work session held on Friday, raising the penalty incurred for causing village police or firefighters to mobilize needlessly.

A first false alarm remains free. The penalty for a second false alarm in any given year has been raised to $400; it was previously only $50. The third and fourth false alarms move from $100 to $500 and $750, respectively. The fifth, and all subsequent false alarms in each calendar year, will cost the homeowner $1,000.

“I did not think we were going up to $400,” said Carrie Doyle, a trustee. “Seems very steep.”

Christopher Minardi, the deputy mayor and once a volunteer firefighter, said, however, that “to fire up 10 trucks and have everyone scramble, and the cost of gas and wear and tear on the machines — there used to be a couple of places that the call would go over all the time, for something that they should just fix.”

Faulty sensors are the main culprit. Mayor Jerry Larsen, who owns a security business and recused himself from the vote, said that contractors, house cleaners, and the like also routinely triggered false alarms.

“They have about a thousand false alarms a year in our fire department,” he told the board. “The police have even more.”

The increase puts the village in line with the amounts charged for such infractions in East Hampton Town.

On the Police Logs 03.20.25

Police at first thought that the water reported to be flowing onto Church Street last Thursday afternoon came from a water main break, but found upon arriving at the scene that it was being pumped from a nearby swimming pool, a violation of the village code.

Mar 20, 2025

Coordinated Response Brought Fires Under Control

As winds out of the northwest gusted at near 40 miles per hour early Saturday, it didn’t take long for the embers from a fire that began around 9:30 a.m. in a Manorville backyard, “following an attempt to make s’mores,” to ignite multiple brush fires that would grow to burn 600 acres in the Westhampton pine barrens. Suffolk County police arson detectives reached the conclusion after first reviewing 911 call from the hours leading up to the incident.

Mar 13, 2025

Ups and Downs in Annual Police Report

East Hampton Town police made fewer overall arrests last year, but more arrests for driving while intoxicated — another year that has led Chief Michael Sarlo to say that “we live in an extremely safe community.” 

Mar 13, 2025

On the Police Logs 03.13.25

Low-flying drones were reported flying over Deep Hollow Ranch on the evening of March 3. Police saw their lights blinking red and white, but no action was taken. 

Mar 13, 2025

 

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