A security alarm business performing or contracting monitoring services shall:
(A) Establish and maintain written procedures to ensure efforts are made to verify alarm signal activations prior to making a dispatch request to the police department, with exception given to robbery alarms, panic alarms, or duress alarms;
(B) Alarm call confirmation requirements - With exception to robbery, panic, or duress alarms, alarm signals received from a commercial burglar alarm system or a residential burglar alarm system shall be processed in accordance with the following procedures:
(1) Call number one - Upon receipt of the alarm signal, and prior to making an alarm dispatch request, the monitoring facility shall attempt telephonic confirmation with the alarm site's designated primary contact number.
(2) Call number two - If a monitoring facility operator is not successful at making direct, verbal contact with a person on the first call to the alarm site's primary designated number, the monitoring facility shall make a call to the alarm site's designated secondary contact number before making an alarm dispatch request.
(3) Person on premises without proper alarm code - If the monitoring facility reaches a designated contact number, and the person answering the phone does not have the correct pass code, the monitoring facility may notify the police department to initiate an alarm dispatch.
(4) Scheduled events - If an alarm signal is received in connection with an abort/cancel event, then the operator shall not contact the police department.
(5) Alarm confirmed as false - If the alarm is confirmed as being false during the first, second, or succeeding call, or as a result of getting a valid pass code, the monitoring facility operator shall cancel any previous alarm dispatch request. If cancellation occurs prior to police or fire personnel arriving at the scene, this shall not be considered a false alarm for the purposes of assessing civil penalties.
(6) Notification call - The monitoring facility's operator shall notify the police department and initiate an alarm dispatch.
(7) Call lists and priority - Following the notification to the police department and subsequent alarm dispatch request, the monitoring facility shall continue efforts to attempt to contact additional designated telephone numbers on the alarm site's entire designated call list, with the intent to achieve a cancellation of the alarm dispatch request if it is verified that no emergency exists. Subsequent to dispatch of police personnel, the priority of notification calls to the telephone numbers in a customer's database shall first be two telephone numbers with the highest probability of reaching an alarm user or their authorized designee.
(8) Additional methods - Audio-based confirmation, video-based confirmation, or cross-zoning shall be permitted in place of first and second layer call confirmation, and shall be considered in compliance with this section.
(9) Call confirmation procedures in subsections (B)(1) and (B)(2) of this section shall not apply to gun stores, banks, pharmacies, and other specific locations determined by the police chief;
(C) Maintain records for at least two years following a request for an alarm dispatch to an alarm site: records relating to the dispatch, including the name, address, and telephone number of the alarm user; the alarm system zones or points activated; the time of request for dispatch; and information concerning the alarm businesses attempt to contact the alarm site's designated contacts by telephone or other electronic means before requesting the dispatch;
(D) Make such records available to the alarm administrator upon request;
(E) Not install a single-action, non-recessed button as a device to activate a manual alarm;
(F) Not install an automatic dialing device in an alarm system;
(G) When making alarm dispatch requests, not use incorrect, misleading, or unverified information or terminology, or withhold information to facilitate an alarm dispatch;
(H) After making an alarm dispatch request, remain in continuous contact with police or fire personnel if requested; and
(I) Provide its alarm user clients with a written or digital copy of this article, in order to inform them of its provisions and requirements.
(Ord. 2951)