Suffolk County will implement a new burglar alarm registration program in an attempt to reduce the number of false alarms police officers respond to.

Residents and businesses will have to pay to register their systems with police beginning April 1. If police respond to more than two false alarms at a registered location within a year, additional fees will be placed on the owners.

False alarms at unregistered locations will be fined on the first visit and at a much higher rate, police say.

Suffolk 911 operators answered 97,000 false alarm calls last year, officials say. Suffolk Police Chief Stuart Cameron says that amounted to about one false alarm out of every six calls.

Nassau County and some smaller East End police departments already use similar programs. Those departments say they've had success.

Enforcement of the new law doesn't begin until June 1.