INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — The Washoe County Sheriff's Office is reminding residents about a potential $50 fine after recent confusion over its little-publicized false alarm ordinance.

On May 3 of this year, deputies responded to a false alarm at Incline resident Ed Strauss' home on the 700 block of Golfers Pass residence.

Strauss was out of town at the time, and the emergency contact he listed with the Burgarello Alarm Company, an elderly female friend, wasn't able to respond to the late night alarm.

The ordinance — Washoe County Code 54.045 — was enacted in 1992 and states a responsible party must meet deputies after every false alarm.

Strauss, who paid the $50 under protest, argued he wasn't properly noticed of the ordinance.

Brooke Keast, Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, confirmed the WCSO did not relay county code 54.045 on the notice left on Strauss' door, but said it's the responsibility of homeowners to know the ins and outs of owning an alarm system.

“The Sheriff's Office reminds resident there are ordinances pertaining to the use of alarms and alarm systems and to be aware of those ordinances prior to an event,” Keast said.

Shift switch

Starting July 6, the Sheriff's Office returned to three daily eight hour shifts. Since early this year the WCSO had been on a rotating shift schedule where most employees worked 10- or 12-hour shifts. The schedule was inefficient, Keast said, and the district returned to the eight hour shifts to save money and resources.