Members of a Tulsa, Oklahoma, family said they were left high and dry as thieves broke into their vehicle.
The family members said their security system alerted them about someone prowling in their car, but no one ever showed up after their security company called police.
Tulsa police say they canceled the call when they found that the family didn't have a First Response Certificate with the City of Tulsa..
Tulsa police, like police in some other cities, require for residents to have the paid permit before they will respond to a call from a burglary alarm.
They say they will respond if they know that a resident is in a home or if the resident makes the call, regardless of whether or not they have a permit.
However, if an alarm company calls on a resident's behalf and police don't know that the resident is in the home, police say they will not respond if the resident does not have a permit.
Police say the move is part of an effort to cut down on officers' responding to false alarms.
They say they will still respond to any business "hold up" alarm, regardless of whether or not the business owner has a permit, because they say it usually means an active robbery is underway.
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