About $1,300 has been collected in fines since an ordinance aimed at curbing the number of false alarms in South Lake Tahoe was enacted in June.

Fed up after dealing with 2,000 to 2,500 false alarms within the city limits per year, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department enacted an ordinance to notify, then fine, owners of alarms that shrill for reasons beyond a burglar or other criminal reasons.

Bob Albertazzi, community resource officer for the department, said 611 alarms have been registered by Thursday, an estimated 90 percent of the city's total at both businesses and residences.

Between June and the end of December, Albertazzi said 237 false alarms were noted. Those triggered by weather or other natural occurrences aren't counted but those caused by human error are listed.

Since repeat offenders are fined after three false alarms, the police department was able to contribute to the general fund of the City of South Lake Tahoe with about $1,300 collected in fines.

Some repeat offenders were fined $100, while another was billed $300, Albertazzi said.

Police Chief Terry Daniels said the time officers (a required two officers) spend responding to false alarms (roughly 20 minutes) is a cost the department can't afford.

Both Albertazzi and Daniels believes the rate of false alarms will decrease once people are mindful of the ordinance.

"I think we're not where we need to be but certainly it's a lot better than it was a year ago," Daniels said.