High cost of false alarms

Nearly 57,000 false burglar alarms went off last year in Los Angeles and generated $11.5 million in fines, but the LAPD collected just 60 percent of the money because its antiquated computer system can't track the location of the alarms. Jason Kandel in the Daily News.

Because of the 1990 s-era False Alarm System, the city lost $4.5 million last year, according to the Los Angeles Police Commission, the civilian board that oversees the department.

"It was never intended to be an accounting system," said Richard Tefank, the commission's executive director.