A. The alarm company shall be responsible for any and all damage to property or injury to persons arising out of the exercise of the alarm company's registration. The alarm company shall indemnify and hold harmless the City and its officers, agents and employees from all suits, actions or claims of injuries received or sustained by any person or persons or property on account of any act or omission of the alarm company, its agents or employees, or due to the failure of the alarm company to observe the provisions of this paragraph.
B. Registration Not Renewed: If the alarm company's registration is not renewed within thirty (30) days after the registration renewal date, a penalty will be assessed against the alarm company.
C. Existing alarm systems. Upon enactment of this ordinance, an alarm company shall ensure they have updated their customer information via the Police Department online portal. This customer information shall include existing business name (if applicable), customer name, customer date of birth, email address, physical address of the alarmed residence/business, and mailing address (if different than physical address). The updated customer information as described in this section must be completed by the alarm company within six (6) months after being notified in writing from the Alarm Administrator.
D. New alarm systems. Any alarm company that installs an alarm system on premises located within the City of Colorado Springs after the effective date of this ordinance must notify the Alarm Administrator within ten (10) days after the date of installation that an alarm system has been installed and provide the name and address of the alarm user.
E. Purchased accounts. An alarm company that purchases any alarm system account from another alarm company or person shall notify the Alarm Administrator of such purchase, and shall provide the Alarm Administrator a complete list of the acquired customers in a format the alarm company is capable of producing. This information shall include the customer name, alarm site address, alarm user permit number, and alarm company registration number.
F. Registration and Responsible Party Requirements. Any alarm company engaged in the alarm business in the City of Colorado Springs shall comply with the following:
1. Obtain and maintain any required state license(s) or certificates.
2. Provide name, address, and telephone number of the alarm user or a designee who can be called in an emergency, twenty four (24) hours a day, together with a responsible party who will respond.
G. Dual-Activation Button Requirement. Upon enactment of this ordinance, alarm companies shall, on all new and upgraded installation, install only dual-activation button robbery/holdup devices for appropriate applications of commercial accounts.
H. Operation of system. Prior to activation of the alarm system, the alarm company must provide instructions explaining the proper operation of the alarm system to the alarm user, and how to prevent false alarms. In addition, provide alarm user written information of how to obtain service from the alarm company for the alarm system, how to contact the alarm company, and how to cancel an alarm request.
I. Notification of permitting and ordinance. Prior to installation of the alarm system, the alarm company must provide the alarm user with information on how to obtain an alarm user permit and how to gain online access to this ordinance.
J. Monitoring requirements. An alarm company performing monitoring services shall:
1. Follow the ECC requirements before requesting dispatch of the Police Department.
2. Provide the alarm user permit number to the Communications Center to facilitate dispatch and/or cancellations.
3. Communicate to the Communication Center any pertinent available information about the location of the alarm.
4. Communicate a cancellation to the Communications Center as soon as possible following a determination that response is unnecessary.
K. False statement prohibited. No alarm company or any employee of an alarm company shall make a false statement to the Alarm Administrator.
L. Installer/Service repair and testing. No alarm salesperson, alarm service person, or alarm installer shall activate an alarm signal that results in a false alarm. Alarm system testing must be reported in advance to the Communications Center.
M. No alarm company shall request a police response to an alarm at any alarm site that has had four (4) or more false alarms within any alarm registration period, unless there is actual evidence that a crime is being or has been committed. An alarm company shall have thirty (30) days from the date of the notification letter from the Alarm Administrator to submit written documentation to the Alarm Administrator that the alarm company has provided the alarm user training in the operation of the alarm system, has identified the cause of the false alarms and, if a mechanical problem, has taken corrective action. Failure to provide the required documentation within this thirty (30) day period may, at the Police Department's sole discretion, result in suspension of police response. (Ord. 21-65)