For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ALARM COMPANY. A person engaged in selling, leasing, installing, servicing or monitoring alarm systems in the town; this person shall be in compliance with and licensed by the state’s Alarm Licensing Board.
ALARM PERMIT. A permit issued by the town allowing the operation of an alarm system within the town.
ALARM SIGNAL. A detectable signal, audible or visual, generated by an alarm system, to which law enforcement is expected to respond.
ALARM SYSTEM. Any single device or assembly of equipment designed to signal the occurrence of an illegal or unauthorized entry or other activity requiring immediate attention and to which law enforcement is expected to respond, but does not include alarms installed in motor vehicles, fire alarms, domestic violence alarms or alarms designed to elicit a medical response.
ALARM USER. Any person, corporation, partnership, proprietorship, governmental or educational entity, or any other entity owning or leasing an alarm system, or on whose premises an alarm system is maintained for the protection of such premises.
AUTOMATIC DIAL PROTECTION DEVICE. An automatic dialing device or an automatic telephone dialing alarm system, and shall include any system which upon being activated, automatically initiates to the town’s Elk Police Department a recorded message or code signal indicating a need for law enforcement response.
FALSE ALARM. The activation of an alarm system through mechanical or electronic failure, malfunction, improper installation or the negligence of the alarm user, his or her employees, or agents and signals activated to summon law enforcement personnel unless the alarm user or his or her agent canceled law enforcement response before law enforcement personnel arrive at the alarm location. An alarm is false within the meaning of this chapter when, upon inspection by the town’s Police Department, evidence indicates that no unauthorized entry, robbery or other such crime was committed or attempted in or on the premises that would have activated a properly functioning alarm system. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a FALSE ALARM shall not include an alarm that can reasonably be determined to have been caused or activated by unusually violent conditions of nature nor does it include other extraordinary circumstances not reasonably subject to control by the alarm user. In addition, an alarm activated during an alarm system testing procedure shall not be considered a FALSE ALARM if the alarm user first notifies and receives permission from the user’s alarm company or designee to test the system.
LOCAL ALARM. An alarm system that emits a signal ai an alarm site that is audible or visible from the exterior of a structure and is not monitored by a remote monitoring facility.
RUNAWAY ALARM. An alarm system that produces repeated alarm signals that do not appear to be caused by separate human action.
SIA CONTROL PANEL STANDARD CP-01. The American National Standard Institute (ANSI) approved Security Industry Association (SLA) CP-01 Control Panel Standard, or nationally recognized equivalent which meets or exceeds these standards. As may be updated from time to time, that details recommended design features for security system control panels and their associated arming and disarming devices to reduce false alarms. Control panels built and tested to this standard by Underwriters Laboratory (UL), or other nationally recognized testing organizations, will be marked to stale: “Design evaluated in accordance with SIA CP-01 Control Panel Standard Features for False Alarm Reduction”.
TOWN. The Town of Banner Elk or its agent.
VERIFY. An attempt by the monitoring company or its representative, to contact the alarm site and/or alarm user by telephone and/or other electronic means, whether or not actual contact with a person is made, to attempt to determine whether an alarm signal is valid before requesting law enforcement dispatch, in an attempt to avoid an unnecessary alarm dispatch request. For the purpose of this chapter, telephone verification shall require, as a minimum, that a second call be made to a different number if the first attempt fails to reach an alarm user who can properly identify themselves to attempt to determine whether an alarm signal is valid before requesting law enforcement dispatch.
(Prior Code, § 97.01)