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For the purpose of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:
DETECTIVE AGENCY. Any person engaged in the detective business for hire which employs one or more persons as employees, assistants, clerks, bookkeepers or operatives in its business; provided, that persons engaged in such business whose employees, other than office employees, are in full uniform shall not be classed as a detective agency.
DETECTIVE BUSINESS. The business of making for hire an investigation for the purpose of obtaining information with reference to any of the following matters:
Crimes against the laws of the land or wrongs done or threatened; the habits, conduct, movements, associates, transactions, reputation, character or location of persons; the credibility of witnesses or other persons; the location or recovery of lost or stolen property; securing evidence to be used before authorized investigating committees, boards of award or arbitration or in the trial of civil or criminal cases; the causes, origins or responsibility for fires, accidents or injury to real or personal property; or strikes and labor difficulties.
PRIVATE DETECTIVE. A person engaged in the detective business for hire who does not employ or use any employees, assistants, clerks, bookkeepers or operatives. (Ord. 4039)
No license to engage in the business of a private detective or to conduct a private detective agency shall be issued until the police department has taken the fingerprints of the applicant. No license shall be issued where the applicant is under 23 years of age. (Ord. Nos. 4039; 4311)
In order to defray a part of the expense necessary to provide the surveillance, supervision and inspection of persons as required under the terms of this chapter, there is hereby fixed a license fee or police tax, which shall be collected from any person engaged in the private detective business or conducting a private detective agency of $50 per annum. If any application is granted during the calendar year, the fee shall be paid pro rata for the balance of the current year. In no event shall there be any refunds of license fees or police taxes paid under this chapter. The fee shall be paid to the assessor and collector of taxes who shall issue a receipt therefor on a form prepared by him for that purpose. (Ord. Nos. 4039; 4996)
Any person intending to conduct a private detective business in the city shall, for each such bureau or agency, file with the chief of police a written application duly signed and verified as follows:
(a) If the applicant is a person, the application shall be signed and verified by such person, and if the applicant is a firm or partnership, the application shall be signed and verified by each individual composing or intending to compose such firm or partnership. The application shall state the full name, age, residence, present and previous occupations of each person so signing the same, that he is a citizen of the United States and shall also specify the name of the street and number and the trade name of the business for which the license is desired and such further facts as may be required by the chief of police to show the good character, competency and integrity of each person so signing such application. Each person signing such application shall, together with such application, submit to the chief of police his photograph in duplicate in passport size and fingerprints of his two hands recorded in such manner as may be specified by the chief of police or his authorized representative. Before approving such application it shall be the duty of the chief of police or his authorized representative to compare such fingerprints with those filed with the identification bureau of the police department. Every such applicant shall establish to the satisfaction of the city manager and by at least two duly acknowledged certificates that such applicant, if he be a person or in the case of a firm, company, partnership or corporation, at least one member of such firm, partnership, company or corporation has been regularly employed as a detective or shall have been a member of the United States government investigative service, a sheriff or member of the city police department of a rank or grade higher than that of patrolman for a period of not less than three years.
Such applications shall be approved as to each person or individual so signing the same by not less than five reputable citizens of this community, each of whom shall certify that he has personally known the person for a period of at least five years prior to the filing of such application, that he has read such application and believes each of the statements made therein to be true, that such person is honest, of good character, competent and not related or connected to the person so certifying by blood or marriage.
Local branches of detective agencies licensed, chartered or organized outside of the city by authority of a law of their home state where the provisions are substantially the same as those of this chapter, shall be exempted from the provisions of this section; provided, however, that the local manager shall be fingerprinted.
(b) If the applicant is a corporation, the application shall be signed and verified by the president, secretary and treasurer thereof and shall specify the name of the corporation, the date and place of its incorporation, the location of its principal place of business and the location of the premises on which it intends to do business in the city. Each and every requirement of this section shall apply to the president, secretary and treasurer and each such officer and his successor shall, prior to entering upon the discharge of his duties, sign and verify a like statement, proved in like manner as is prescribed in this section as in case of person or individual member of a firm or partnership. In the event of the death, resignation or removal of such officer, due notice of that fact shall forthwith be given in writing to the chief of police together with a copy of the minutes of any meeting of directors of such corporation, certified by the secretary indicating the death, resignation or removal of such officer and the election or designation of the successor of each deceased, resigned or removed officer. The local manager or representative of a person whose headquarters is elsewhere than in the city shall comply with the requirements in part (a) of this section. (Ord. 4039)
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