Gilbert Town Council Orders Police Department to Self-Fine

By Matthew Holloway |

The Gilbert Town Council recently delivered a firm message to the Gilbert Police Department (GPD) during a meeting in late December. The council denied a proposal from the GPD seeking exemption from a municipal code that imposes fines on building owners for having three or more false alarms within a calendar year. Consequently, the police department will continue to impose fines on itself for these occurrences.

Assistant Police Chief Michael Angstead articulated the department’s dilemma to the council. He shared specifics about how alarms function at their Property and Evidence building, explaining that false alarms frequently trigger alerts. “The alarm goes off from time to time because rabbits will get out into the open part of the facility,” said Angstead, emphasizing the need to dispatch officers to verify each alarm.

Chief of Police Michael Soelberg highlighted in the meeting’s agenda that whenever a false alarm occurs at the GPD’s facilities, their own officers are tasked to respond. If the alarm is deemed false and it exceeds the threshold of three false alarms in a year, the town charges the GPD for the response efforts. “This amendment would save the Town from self-imposed fines for false alarms while encouraging measures to reduce these incidents,” Soelberg noted.

The proposal included a graduated fine structure, starting at $50 after the third false alarm, incrementing by $50 for each subsequent alarm, capping at $400 for the tenth alarm and beyond. Despite the broad scope—which encompassed fines for town-owned, county, state, and federal buildings—the council ultimately rejected the amendment.

Councilwoman Kathy Tilque expressed her opposition during the discussion, reinforcing the principle of accountability. “If we enforce laws on businesses, we should abide by the same regulations,” she stated, questioning the rationale behind the existing ordinance. She recognized the redundancy but focused on the need for consistency in enforcement.

Tilque, who opted not to seek re-election in 2024, further insisted that the measure should be allowed to expire. Councilman Chuck Bongiovanni expressed solidarity with Tilque’s position, emphasizing that both residents and businesses must adhere to the same legal standards as the town itself. The council’s decision to reject the amendment was made 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.