Gilbert Town Council To Police Department: Go Fine Yourself
By Matthew Holloway |
The Gilbert Town Council handed down a harsh wake up call to the Gilbert Police Department (GPD) in late December. In a meeting, the town denied a request by the GPD to be exempted from a municipal code which levies a fine against building owners if a business or organization has three or more false alarms in a given calendar year. Essentially, the town has told the department that it will have to continue to fine itself.
According to the East Valley Tribune, Assistant Police Chief Michael Angstead told the council that the department currently fines itself and cuts the city a check. “Currently, as an example, we have an alarm on our property and evidence building,” Angstead told councilmembers. “And it’ll go off from time to time because rabbits will get out into the open part of the facility, where we can’t have people running around because there’s evidence outside.” An officer is reportedly dispatched to check each alarm.
In the text of the meeting’s agenda item, Chief of Police Michael Soelberg wrote, “As an example: currently, if the Gilbert Police Department’s Property and Evidence building has an alarm—false or otherwise—the Gilbert Police Department is dispatched to investigate. If the Gilbert Police Department’s officers determine the alarm was false, and there have been three or more false alarms within a calendar year, the Town of Gilbert shall charge the Gilbert Police Department for sending Gilbert Police Department’s officers to respond to a Gilbert Police Department building’s alarm. This amendment will help the Town avoid expending the resources to fine itself, and other government agencies, for the response to false alarms, but notifications will still be made to encourage remedies to the false alarms.”
According to the False Alarm Assessment Schedule provided in the proposal, the fine starts at $50 after the third alarm and increases by $50 with each subsequent alarm up to the tenth, capping at $400 per alarm for all subsequent alarms.
The department’s requested amendment wasn’t limited to its own buildings but also included town-owned buildings as well as county, state, and federal properties. However, the council still turned it down.
Councilwoman Kathy Tilque, who did not seek re-election in 2024, opposed the department’s request. As reported by the Tribune, she explained, “I always believe that if we pass a law to regulate and fine businesses, we should hold ourselves accountable to the same standard,” she said.
“While I understand it seems redundant to process fines within internal departments, the bigger issue is, why do we have this law in place to begin with?”
“I’m prepared to let this die right here,” she said, pushing back against exempting county, state, and federal buildings as well.
Fellow Councilman Chuck Bongiovanni concurred with Tilque and agreed that if the town’s residents and businesses must comply with the statute, the town should be held to the same standard.
The measure was denied unanimously.
Matthew Holloway is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
