(a) No person shall use, cause to be used, or maintain for use, any telephone device or telephone attachment that automatically selects and produces a prerecorded message reporting an intrusion or emergency on any telephone line allocated by the telephone company to the Police Department, except a telephone line or lines which may be specifically designated by the Police Chief for such purpose. Such designated telephone line or lines shall terminate at the Police Station.
(b) The City may subscribe to one or more unlisted telephone lines for the purpose of reporting burglaries and other emergencies, or other similar purpose, and when such line is designated, as provided in subsection (a) hereof, persons may, upon proper application and compliance with applicable laws and provisions of this chapter be granted a permit to install and use a device or devices which automatically select the designated telephone line for the purpose of playing a recorded message or to otherwise report a burglary or other emergency.
(c) For alarms of the type described in subsection (a) hereof, the message shall first state, "This is a recording." The balance of the message shall be appropriate to the purpose for which the alarm is installed, be clear, concise and subject to approval of the Police Chief.
(d) For alarms of the type described in subsection (a) hereof, each such device shall be programmed to first dial the police station, using the designated unlisted telephone number described in subsection (b) hereof. The device shall next dial a number selected by the applicant, such second number being one at which a person having a key to the building from where the alarm has been activated can normally be found. A third number may be programmed for the next dialing. No more than three such dialings may be programmed and no more than one may be programmed to select the Police Department number per reporting incident, except under unusual circumstances and then only upon approval of the Police Chief. No enforcement agency other than the Police Department may be selected.
(e) The cost of providing the service described above, including any fee or payment charged by the telephone company, shall be paid by the applicant.
The cost of providing the service for automatic dialing alarms as described above, including any fee or payment charged by the telephone company, shall be paid by the applicant.
The fee to be charged to the applicant shall be determined by dividing the cost of phone service for the line designated to accept telephone alarms by the number of holders of permits for automatic telephone dialer alarms, adding fifteen percent for administration and handling, and rounding off the next highest dollar, except that the minimum charge shall be thirty dollars ($30.00) per half year. All fees charged shall be on a semiannual basis in advance. Delinquency in excess of thirty days shall result in cancellation of the alarm.
(Ord. 99-73. Passed 9-4-73.)