Salina Police officers are spending more time on task – and far less time driving to investigate false alarm calls at homes and businesses.

According to Salina Chief of Police Brad Nelson, a False Alarm Ordinance that went into effect three years ago in Salina, has greatly reduced time wasted and improved communication between the Salina Police Department and those who have alarm systems.

Chief Nelson tells KSAL News that the measure initiated in 2016, was in response to the approximately 2,000 alarm calls the department received annually.

Nelson says over 99-percent of those calls were determined to be false in nature.

“That’s over 900 false alarm calls or about 80 calls a month that our officers were responding to, where there was no emergency,” Chief Nelson said.

The department believes the upside of the False Alarm Ordinance includes better maintained alarm systems, accountability and a nearly 50-percent reduction rate over the past three years in false alarm calls.

“More importantly we’re not sending officers to calls where they are not really needed and it does definitely free them up to do other type of activities.”

Since 2016, over 800 residential and commercial permits have been obtained in the city of Salina.