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An application for an alarm registration must be in a format provided by the Police Department. The information required on such forms shall be determined by the Alarm Administrator. Registration applicants acknowledge that the police response may be influenced by factors including, but not limited to, the availability of officers, priority of calls, traffic conditions, weather conditions, emergency conditions, prior alarm history, administrative actions and staffing levels.
(Ord. 1479, passed 5-16-2018)
A. An alarm registration cannot be transferred to another person or alarm site. An alarm user shall inform the Alarm Administrator and their alarm company of any change to the information listed on the alarm registration application within 10 business days after such change.
B. Exceptions may be made in the discretion of the Alarm Administrator when the transfer proposed is among members of the family of the original registration holder or successors in interest to the property for which the alarm registration has been issued.
(Ord. 1479, passed 5-16-2018)
A. An alarm user shall:
1. Maintain the alarm site and the alarm system in a manner that will minimize or eliminate false alarms;
2. Make every reasonable effort to arrive at (or cause a designated, responsible person to arrive at) the alarm system’s location within 30 minutes after being requested by the monitoring company or Police Department in order to:
a. Deactivate an alarm system;
b. Provide access to the alarm site; and/or
c. Provide alternative security for the alarm site.
3. Provide his, her, or its monitoring company with the updated names and telephone numbers of at least 2 individuals who are able and have agreed to:
a. Receive notification of an alarm system activation at any time;
b. Respond to the alarm site at any time; and
c. Provide access to the alarm site and deactivate the alarm system, if necessary.
4. Not activate an alarm system for any reason other than an occurrence of an event that the alarm system was intended to report.
5. Notify his, her, or its monitoring company of any suspension of police response (as provided for under this chapter) and request that the monitoring company not make a burglar alarm dispatch request.
B. No person shall operate or cause to be operated any automatic voice dialer which, when activated, uses a telephone device or attachment to automatically dial a telephone line leading into the Police Department or the city and then transmit any prerecorded message or signal.
C. An alarm user shall keep a set of written operating instructions for each alarm system at each alarm site.
(Ord. 1479, passed 5-16-2018)
A. No alarm system shall emit a sound resembling an emergency vehicle siren or civil defense warning. The Chief of Police shall make the final determination regarding any question of an audible alarm within this section.
B. After the effective date of this chapter no one shall install, modify or repair an alarm system in the city that has a siren, bell or other signal that is audible from any property adjacent to the alarm site that sounds for longer than 15 consecutive minutes after the alarm is activated, or that repeats the 15 minute audible cycle more than 2 consecutive times during a single armed period.
C. In the event that an audible alarm is activated and fails to reset itself or continues to activate for more than 60 minutes and the responsible person listed on the alarm registration or other responsible person cannot or will not respond and silence the alarm, and the continued activation of the alarm is creating a disturbance, the Police Department may cause the alarm to be silenced in a manner determined appropriate for the circumstances. The alarm user shall be held responsible for the actual costs involved to abate the malfunctioning alarm up to a maximum of $300. The city, its employees or agents shall not be responsible or liable for damage resulting from such disconnection.
(Ord. 1479, passed 5-16-2018)
A. Registration.
1. No alarm company operator or alarm agent, as defined by the Business and Professions Code, shall install, maintain, or repair any alarm system within the city unless the alarm company operator or alarm agent has, prior to performing such work, obtained a city business license.
2. Each alarm installation company and alarm monitoring company must designate 1 individual as the alarm response manager (ARM) for the company. The individual designated as the ARM must be knowledgeable of the provisions of this chapter, as well as have the knowledge and authority to deal with false alarm issues and respond to requests from the Alarm Administrator. The name, contact number, and email address of the ARM shall be provided to the Alarm Administrator. Failure to comply within 30 days after being notified in writing from the Alarm Administrator may result in the suspension of Police Department response to alarm dispatch requests from the non-complying alarm installation company or monitoring company.
3. Each alarm installation company shall provide the name, address and phone number of any monitoring company it is using to monitor its alarm sites within the city, and monitoring companies shall do the same for alarm installation companies that use their monitoring services within the city.
B. Alarm installation companies shall:
1. Upon the installation or activation of an alarm system, the alarm installation company shall distribute to the alarm user information summarizing:
a. The applicable law relating to false alarms, including the registration fee and the potential for fines and suspension of an alarm registration;
b. How to prevent false alarms; and
c. How to operate the alarm system.
2. After the effective date of this chapter, alarm installation companies shall not program alarm systems so that they are capable of sending one plus duress alarms. Monitoring companies may continue to report one plus duress alarms received from alarm systems programmed with one plus duress alarms installed prior to the effective date of this chapter.
3. After the effective date of this chapter, alarm installation companies shall not install, modify or repair “single action” devices for the activation of hold-up, robbery or panic alarms. New devices shall require 2 actions or an activation time delay to provide more positive assurance that the user intends to activate the device.
4. Ninety days after the effective date of this chapter, an alarm installation company shall, on new installations, use only alarm control panel(s) which are listed as ANSI/SIA CP-01- Control Panel Standard - Features for False Alarm Reduction.
5. An alarm installation company shall not use an automatic voice dialer for any alarm system which, when activated, uses a telephone device or attachment to automatically dial a telephone line leading into the Police Department or the city and then transmit any pre-recorded message or signal.
6. Ensure that alarm users of alarm systems equipped with a duress, robbery, holdup or panic alarm has been provided adequate training as to the proper use of the alarm system’s operation and function.
7. All alarm systems shall be supplied with an uninterrupted power supply in such a manner that the failure or interruption of the normal electric utility service for a period of up to 4 hours will not activate the alarm system.
8. All audible alarm systems shall include a device which will limit the duration of the audible alarm to a period of not more than 15 minutes per activation.
C. A monitoring company shall:
1. Report alarm signals by using telephone numbers or procedures designated by the Alarm Administrator or other approved communication processes.
2. Employ enhanced call confirmation procedures on all burglar alarm dispatch requests. The City Police Department may refuse to accept an alarm dispatch request from a monitoring company that has failed to comply with the procedures required by enhanced call confirmation. This division becomes effective 90 days after the effective date of this chapter.
3. Communicate alarm dispatch requests to the Police Department in a manner and form determined by the Alarm Administrator.
4. Communicate cancellations to the Police Department in a manner and form determined by the Alarm Administrator.
5. Communicate all available zone activations information (north, south, front, back, door, window, etc.) about the location of an alarm signal(s) as part of an alarm dispatch request.
6. Communicate the type of alarm activation (silent or audible, interior or perimeter), if available, on any alarm dispatch request.
7. Notify communications (dispatch) of any alarm site that it knows, or reasonably should know has guard dog(s), pets or is fitted with a protective-reactive alarm system. During any alarm at such a site, a responsible party must be contacted and confirm that he or she will respond to the alarm site to disarm the device or take control of the guard dog(s).
8. After an alarm dispatch request, promptly advise the Police Department if the monitoring company knows that the alarm user or a responsible party is on the way to the alarm site;
9. Each monitoring company must maintain, for a period of at least 1 year after the date of an alarm dispatch request, all records relating to the alarm dispatch request. Records must include the name, address and telephone number of the alarm user, each alarm system zone activated, the time of alarm dispatch request and evidence of all attempts to verify. The Alarm Administrator may request copies of such records for any individual alarm user. If the request is made within 60 days after an alarm dispatch request, the monitoring company shall furnish requested records within 3 business days after receiving the request. If the records are requested between 60 days and 1 year after an alarm dispatch request, the monitoring company shall furnish the requested records within 30 days after receiving the request.
10. Each monitoring company shall, upon request, immediately provide the Police Department with the names and phone numbers of the alarm user’s emergency contacts at the time of each alarm dispatch request.
D. Conversion of Alarm Users. An alarm installation company or monitoring company that converts the servicing of any alarm system account from another company shall notify the Alarm Administrator of such conversion and shall make a reasonable effort to provide to the Alarm Administrator, within 60 days from the date of conversion, an alarm user list of the converted accounts, in a format acceptable to the Alarm Administrator.
(Ord. 1479, passed 5-16-2018)
A. The Alarm Administrator shall:
1. Designate the manner and form of alarm dispatch requests and the telephone numbers and/or communication process that are to be used for such requests; and
2. Establish a procedure to accept cancellation of alarm dispatch requests.
B. The Alarm Administrator shall establish a procedure to acquire and record information on alarm dispatch requests.
C. The Alarm Administrator shall establish and implement a procedure to notify the alarm user of a false alarm. The notice shall include the following:
1. The date and time of an officer’s response to the false alarm; and
2. Any false alarm fine incurred.
D. The Alarm Administrator may require that a conference be held with an alarm user and the alarm installation company or monitoring company responsible for repairing or monitoring of the alarm system to review the circumstances of each false alarm. The conference may be held in person or through a conference telephone call, at the Alarm Administrator’s discretion. Failure to participate may result in suspension of the alarm registration, as indicated by the facts of the case.
E. The Alarm Administrator may establish an alarm user awareness class. The Alarm Administrator may request the assistance of associations, alarm companies and law enforcement agencies in developing and implementing the class. The class shall inform alarm users of the alarm ordinance; problems created by false alarms and teach alarm users how to avoid creating false alarms.
F. If a false robbery, holdup or panic alarm has occurred and the alarm was triggered using a single action, non-recessed device, the Alarm Administrator may consider a waiver or partial waiver of the false alarm fine, if action is taken by the alarm user to remove or replace the single action, non-recessed device.
G. The Alarm Administrator shall make a copy of this chapter and/or an ordinance summary sheet available to each alarm user.
H. The Alarm Administrator may use electronic means to communicate with alarm users, alarm installation companies and monitoring companies when applicable or when requested by the recipient and at the Alarm Administrator’s discretion.
(Ord. 1479, passed 5-16-2018)
A. The Alarm Administrator may assess the alarm user a fine for a false alarm occurring at that alarm user’s alarm site. The amount of said fines for the listed categories shall be established by City Council and may be subsequently amended by resolution of the City Council.
B. If a false alarm fine is not paid within 30 days after the invoice is mailed, a late charge as established by resolution of the City Council shall be imposed.
C. Fines for False Alarms from Non-Registered Alarm Systems. For person(s) operating a non-registered alarm system incurring a false alarm, fines shall be imposed as established by resolution of the City Council.
D. Any monitoring company after 5 business days of receiving notice from the Alarm Administrator that an alarm user’s registration status is that of non-registered shall not make a burglar alarm dispatch request from that alarm user.
E. If cancellation of a police response occurs prior to the officer’s arrival at the alarm site, the response is not considered a false alarm and no false alarm fine will be assessed.
F. The alarm installation company shall be assessed a fine in an amount established by resolution of the City Council if the officer responding to a false alarm determines that an on-site employee of the alarm installation company directly caused the false alarm. Such false alarms are not included in the total number of false alarms for the alarm user, nor is the alarm user to be held liable for any false alarm fine resulting from such alarm activation.
G. A fine in an amount established by resolution of the City Council shall be imposed against any monitoring company that fails to verify alarm system signals as required in § 8.20.090C.2. of this chapter.
H. Notice of the right of appeal under this chapter will be included with notice of any fine.
I. All registration fees, renewal registration fees or fines assessed under this section are due within 30 days of written notice unless otherwise noted. A late charge in an amount established by resolution of the City Council shall be imposed for each individual fee or fine due that is not paid within 30 days.
J. The Alarm Administrator may waive the false alarm fine for the first chargeable false alarm during the alarm user’s 1-year registration period, pending the successful completion of the online alarm user awareness class available through the Alarm Administrator. In order to have the fine waived, the alarm user shall have successfully completed the class within 30 days of the fine notice. Alarm users without online access may request the online school and test be mailed to them. Reasonable additional time to complete the alarm user awareness class shall be allowed for mail delivery.
(Ord. 1479, passed 5-16-2018)
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