For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ALARM AGENT. The business, firm, corporation or partnership designated and employed by the Alarm Board on behalf of the County Sheriff's Department to maintain, service, alter, repair, replace, move or connect any burglar or other alarm to the monitoring equipment and related paraphernalia to be maintained by the County Sheriff's Department at the central answering point.
ALARM BOARD. The Board which performs the duties herein set out. The members of the Board shall consist of five persons, including the Bartholomew County Sheriff, the President of the Sheriff's Merit Board and the three members of the Board of Commissioners of the county, the Chairperson of whom, shall also be the Chairperson of the Alarm Board. The ALARM BOARD shall meet at the time as the Chairperson thereof shall designate and shall perform the following duties.
(1) The Alarm Board shall make recommendations to the Board of Commissioners of the county to enter into a contractual agreement with an alarm agent.
(2) The Alarm Board shall acquire information to determine the effectiveness of this chapter.
(3) The Board of Commissioners of the county may contract for the acquisition, installation and maintenance of appropriate equipment and related paraphernalia to upgrade the response by the County Sheriff's Department to burglar alarms.
(4) The Alarm Board may promulgate the rules and regulations as are necessary to implement and carry out the intent of this chapter.
(5) The County Sheriff's Department shall perform other activities as may be required by the Alarm Board to carry out, improve and implement the intent of this chapter.
ALARM DEVICE. The portion of the alarm system located within or upon the premises of the alarm holder to detect entry into the premises by an unauthorized intruder.
ALARM HOLDER. The owner, lessee or person responsible for the existence of an alarm device within or upon his or her premises.
ALARM SYSTEM. An assembly of equipment and devices designed to signal, or transmit a signal to monitoring equipment maintained at the central answering point, the presence of a hazard at the premises of the alarm holder requiring urgent attention and to which County Sheriff's personnel are expected to respond. Such an ALARM SYSTEM may include, "burglar", "hold-up" or "robbery" warning devices. Included in the ALARM SYSTEM are alarm devices emitting sounds, flashing lights or beacon signals to warn persons outside the premises of the existence of a hazard at the premises.
AUTOMATIC DIALER. An alarm system which automatically sends over regular telephone lines (as distinguished from dedicated telephone lines) a prerecorded voice message or coded signal, indicating the existence of an emergency situation at the premises of an alarm holder.
BURGLAR ALARM. An alarm device activated automatically signaling the entry or attempted entry of an unauthorized intruder in, or upon, the premises of an alarm holder, of which the activation is to signal a robbery, attempted robbery, hold-up, attempted hold-up, burglary or attempted burglary at the premises.
CENTRAL ANSWERING POINT. An office or place maintained by the County Sheriff's Department to which burglar alarms are connected and where County Sheriff's personnel supervise or monitor burglar alarm signals through the use of monitoring equipment.
COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, COUNTY SHERIFF'S PERSONNEL, THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY or the COUNTY OF BARTHOLOMEW. The Department, personnel, Board or county respectively, located in Bartholomew County, Indiana.
DEDICATED TELEPHONE LINE. A telephone line which has, as its sole use, the transmission of an alarm signal from an alarm device to monitoring equipment.
DIRECT CONNECTION. The method of using a telephone line, or other transmission line, which line has as its sole use the transmission of a burglar alarm signal from an alarm device to the monitoring equipment maintained at the central answering point.
FALSE ALARM. A burglar alarm signal received at the central answering point from an alarm device from causes aside from burglary, attempted burglary, severe weather conditions or timely and proper telephone call to the central answering point cancelling any response by County Sheriff's personnel to the alarm signal. Aside causes are generated from human error; improper maintenance; improper installation; faulty equipment; electrical or mechanical malfunction; or excessive sensitivity.
FEES. Monies paid by an alarm holder to continue to have his alarm device connected to the central answering point.
LOCAL ALARM. Alarm equipment which when activated causes an audible and/or visual signal in or on the premises. The type of alarm equipment may or may not be a part of the alarm system.
MONITORING EQUIPMENT. An assembly of equipment and devices maintained at the central answering point which is part of the alarm system which registers the activation of an alarm device and, in response to the activation, County Sheriff's personnel are expected to respond.
SERVICE CHARGE. An assessment by the Alarm Board against an alarm holder for a false alarm.
TESTING OF ALARM DEVICE. An alarm holder, in the first 30 days of the installation of an alarm device, shall be authorized to test the alarm device without the imposition of any false alarm service charge or without the risk of disconnection, subject to the alarm holder filing a written statement with the County Sheriff's Department stating the testing procedure to be utilized and the name of the alarm holder's delegate performing the testing procedure. The TESTING PROCEDURE will be as follows:
(1) In the event the testing procedure is an on-site test designed to simulate conditions to induce an alarm signal to be generated, then the alarm holder, or his or her delegate, shall timely and properly inform the County Sheriff's Department of the testing and the County Sheriff's personnel will telephone the alarm holder, or his or her delegate, each time an alarm signal is received at the central answering point, but the County Sheriff's personnel will not otherwise respond to the alarm signal;
(2) If the testing procedure utilized is to allow an alarm signal to be generated without simulating conditions to induce an alarm signal, the County Sheriff's personnel will respond to each alarm signal generated, but the alarm holder, or his or her delegate, shall file with the Alarm Board within 48 hours of the general alarm signal, a written statement of each false alarm created, the cause of the false alarm and the procedure utilized to eliminate further false alarms; and
(3) Both of the foregoing testing procedures.
TROUBLE INDICATION. A transmittal signal, different from a burglar alarm signal, which indicates a mechanical or electrical problem within the alarm system.
(Prior Code, § 6-71) (Ord. 1988-10, passed 7-11-1988)