For the purposes of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ALARM COMPANY OPERATOR. Any person, individual, partnership, corporation, or other form of association that engages in business or accepts employment to install, maintain, alter, sell on premises, monitor, or service intrusion, property, burglary, robbery, panic alarms, or other alarm system located in the city. This includes alarm company operators located outside the city limits and which monitor alarms installed within the city limits.
ALARM SYSTEM or ALARM DEVICE. Any system, device, or mechanism which, when activated, transmits a telephonic, wireless, electronic, video, or other form of message to an alarm company operator, or some other number, or emits an audible or visible signal that can be heard or seen by persons outside the protected premises, or transmits a signal beyond the premises in some other fashion, except any system, device, or mechanism primarily protecting a motor vehicle or a medical alert alarm. An ALARM SYSTEM or ALARM DEVICE may consist of one or more components (e.g., motion detector, window breach detector, or similar components) all reporting to a central unit/system panel which, in turn, is connected to or reports to an alarm company operator via telephonic, wireless, electronic, video, or other form of message. NON-MONITORED ALARM SYSTEMS are also included in this definition.
ALARM SYSTEM USER. The person having or maintaining a property, intrusion, burglary, robbery, panic, or other alarm system.
BURGLARY ALARM. See PROPERTY ALARM.
CHIEF OF POLICE. The Chief of the Baldwin Park Police Department, or his or her designee.
DIRECTOR. The Chief of Police or his or her designee or a vendor approved by the City Council.
FALSE ALARM. The reporting of the activation of any monitored or non-monitored alarm system or private alarm system where police arrive at the premises and determine there is no evidence of intrusion, commission of an unlawful act, or emergency on the premises that would warrant a call for police assistance or investigation. An alarm shall be presumed to be false if the responding police do not locate evidence of intrusion, commission of an unlawful act, or emergency on the premises that might have caused the alarm to sound. When responding police find unsecured doors or windows where there is no evidence of forced entry or other evidence of criminal intent, the alarm is presumed to be false. This definition includes signals activated by negligence, accident, mechanical failure, electrical failure signals activated intentionally in non-emergency situations and signals for which the actual cause is unknown. An alarm is not false if the alarm system user, alarm company operator or person operating or maintaining a private alarm system proves:
(1) An individual activated the alarm based on a reasonable belief an emergency or actual or threatened criminal activity requiring immediate response existed; or
(2) The security system was activated by a violent condition of nature, including, but not limited to, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes or lightning, or by an electrical surge that caused physical damage to the alarm system.
FIRE ALARM. A signal initiated by a device such as a manual fire alarm box, automatic fire detector, waterflow switch, smoke detector, or other device which, when activated, is indicative of the presence of a fire or fire signature. FIRE ALARMS shall be exempt from the provisions of this chapter except for fire alarms called in erroneously as an intrusion, burglary, robbery, property, or other alarm. In those situations, the alarm company operator or operator of the private alarm system shall be assessed a false alarm administrative fine.
INTRUSION ALARM. See PROPERTY ALARM.
MEDIC ALARM. Any system, device, or mechanism manually activated by an individual for the sole purpose of notifying emergency services of a medical emergency.
MONITORED ALARM SYSTEM. Any system, device, or mechanism which, when activated, transmits a telephonic, wireless, electronic, video, or other form of message or communication to a private monitoring company, other number, or person who can then notify police that an alarm has been activated. This includes all systems which transmit telephonic, wireless, electronic, video, or other form of message from an alarm installed within the city limits to any location outside of the city limits (e.g., an alarm monitoring center located in a state other than California). All alarms that are monitored, except fire alarms, are included within the definition of MONITORED ALARM SYSTEM; e.g., any monitored burglary, intrusion, panic, premises, property, robbery, or other type of alarm device.
NON-MONITORED ALARM SYSTEM. Any alarm system that emits an audible or visible signal that can be heard or seen by persons outside the protected premises, but which is not monitored by an alarm company operator.
PANIC ALARM. See ROBBERY ALARM.
PERSON. Any individual, partnership, corporation, trust, incorporated or unincorporated entity, or other entity or group of persons, but excludes the United States, the State of California; any political subdivision or municipal corporation thereof.
POLICE DEPARTMENT or POLICE. The Baldwin Park Police Department and includes other law enforcement agencies assisting the Baldwin Park Police Department.
PREMISES or PROTECTED PREMISES. Any real property and any portion of any real property,
within the city, protected by an alarm system or private alarm system.
PRIVATE ALARM SYSTEM. Any system, device, or mechanism which, when activated, transmits a telephonic, wireless, electronic, video, to some other location, or emits an audible or visible signal that can be heard or seen by persons outside the protected premises, or transmits a signal beyond the premises in some other fashion, except:
(1) Any system, device, or mechanism primarily protecting a motor vehicle or a medical alert alarm; and
(2) Any alarm system listed by an alarm system operator pursuant to § 91.22(B).
PROPERTY ALARM, INTRUSION ALARM, and BURGLARY ALARM. Any system, device, or mechanism for detection and reporting of any unauthorized entry or attempted entry or property damage upon real property protected by the system which may be activated by sensors and, when activated, transmits a telephonic, wireless, electronic, video, or other form of message, or emits an audible or visible signal that can be heard or seen by persons outside the protected premises, or transmits a signal beyond the protected premises. For purposes of this chapter, alarms on automatic teller machines (ATMs) are included in this definition.
RESPONDER. A private guard, alarm company guard, private entity, or person contacted by an alarm company operator, or any other person, who verifies there is evidence of intrusion, commission of an unlawful act, or emergency on the premises that would warrant a call for police assistance or investigation for a property alarm, intrusion alarm, or burglary alarm. Any responder for an alarm company operator requesting police response will notify the police dispatcher what alarm company operator requested them to respond and that responder will meet police at the premises.
ROBBERY ALARM and PANIC ALARM. Any system, device, or mechanism manually activated by an individual on or near a premises, to alert others a robbery or any other crime is in progress, or the user is in need of immediate assistance or aid in order to avoid injury or serious bodily harm, which meets the following criteria:
(1) It is designed to be manually activated by an individual for the purpose of summoning assistance to the protected premises;
(2) It transmits a telephonic, wireless, electronic, video, or other form of message or emits an audible, visible, or electronic signal that can be heard, seen, or received by persons outside the protected premises.
VALID ALARM. A property alarm, intrusion alarm, burglary alarm, robbery alarm or panic alarm activation to which police respond and determine there is evidence of intrusion, commission of an unlawful act, or emergency on the premises that might have caused the alarm to sound.
(‘83 Code, § 8.36.020) (Ord. 887, passed - -85; Am. Ord. 1329, passed 6-2-10)