Be warned the latest government scheme to be enacted in the alternative revenue game is here. Cobb County Georgia has partnered with the company CryWolf.us, this is another in a long series of pseudo government hidden tax/fees monetary recoupment strategies. In a down economy tax revenues suffer so government agencies must get creative. Atlanta is using a similar strategy with the jack-booted thugs of Park Atlanta, another private organization tasked with enforcing the law and fining citizens.
This is a very dangerous precedence to set, as we allow those motivated by profit alone to enact, enforce, and make final judgement calls on actual county codes and laws. We the citizens did not vote the corporate body involved with the final decision making of this organization which is loosely tied to our actual law enforcement. Much like the stop light cameras which are actually causing more accidents and doing nothing but making record profits, such is the game here in Cobb County with the False Alarm Reduction Unit. This is a scam plain and simple and you only need to look at the implementation to see why:
- There was no media campaign, or advertising, or mention at all in any County email lists that this was going down and when it did, those accused of generating a false alarm are immediately hit with a $100.00 fine. That is an insane amount, and is 100% proof of the fact that this is a money recovery strategy not a public safety initiative, especially when you consider the caveat is they require registration of your alarm system with a pseudo government private sector agency.
- Once you are busted as being outside the realm of this registration you must pay $100, and are then forced to be databased, this was a deep registration that took twenty minutes over the phone whereas I was asked intimate personal details about my home, my personal financial information and the really scary part they wanted to know how many and where my guns, weapons and dogs were. Ring any bells? Hello it's the Gestapo calling and we need some information.
- This is the best part, when I am hit with a fee or tax in regards to a LAW in most cases I can go before a board, a judge, a jury and face my accuser in a setting of equal grounds. Not so in the case of the False Alarm Reduction Unit and CryWolf.us you have to file an appeal with cobbcounty@publicsafetycorp.com... Yes an email address, that what? LINKS TO A PRIVATE ORGANIZATION THAT IS ENFORCING THE LAW. Read that twice it tastes worst each time.
- Upon filing this appeal and grovelling to the "Alarm Administrator" that is it, no review no panel if the simplistic conditions are met in the huge scope of a false alarm you are guilty and charged. In the 100% likelihood that you are turned down (money stupid) the collections/warrant for your arrest goes into effect in 24 days.
This is a disgusting precedence and Cobb County should stop this profit based tyranny immediately, I fear much like the parking scams, and GA400's never ending tool booths this will not happen how can you give up on the potential revenue of 750,000 people with one third of those being alarm consumers at $100? The answer is you don't, you feed the beast with your children, that's what government does and what we have allowed, I am an ardent capitalist but this sickens me to my core.
Oh yes they can:
cobbcounty@publicsafetycorp.com
As an alternative to installing CryWolf to be operated at your facility, we can manage your false alarm program on an outsource basis.
No Risk!
Your agency can take advantage of CryWolf false alarm management solution with no financial risk—we obtain payment exclusively from the revenue CryWolf helps generate. There is no upfront systems development, licensing, conversion, or equipment costs. We purchase, configure, install, and customize everything needed to administer your agency’s alarm reduction program.
Customized Program
Our false alarm outsourcing services are customized to meet your agency’s needs. Payments are typically remitted to a mutually-agreeable, commercial bank lockbox or can be submitted via secure web-based interface. All correspondence and invoices are generated using your letterhead in a format defined by your agency. The customer support representatives in our processing center respond to citizen and business inquiries using agency-approved customized scripts to ensure accurate and consistent response, professional and courteous service, and transparent outsource operation.
Cobb County False Alarm Reduction UnitPO Box 405587 Atlanta, GA 30384-5587(866) 902-7110
Comments