CHAPTER 12: EMERGENCY REPORTING EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES

Cross-reference:

   Ambulances/emergency medical services, see Ch. 5

   Emergency management, see Ch. 11.5

   Traffic accidents, see §§ 22-136 et seq.

Editor’s note:

   Ord. 15750, § 1, adopted November 18, 2003, amended Ch. 12, in its entirety, to read as herein set out in §§ 12-1 through 12-17. Prior to inclusion of said ordinance, Ch. 12 pertained to similar subject matter. See also the Code Comparative Table.

Section

   12-1   Definitions

   12-2   Alarm permit required; fee; application; transfer

   12-3   Grounds for denial of a permit/revocation

   12-4   Duration; renewal; inspection

   12-5   Reinstatement of a permit; avoidance of permit revocation

   12-6   Appeal from permit denial or revocation

   12-7   Alarm system operation and maintenance

   12-8   Monitoring procedures

   12-9   Duties of an alarm company

   12-10   Alarm reset

   12-11   Indirect alarm reporting

   12-12   Direct automatic alarm notification

   12-13   Alarm system operating instructions

   12-14   Alarm dispatch records

   12-15   Reserved

   12-16   Service fee

   12-17   Violations; penalty

§ 12-1 DEFINITIONS.

   The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this chapter, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning.

   ALARM COMPANY. Any person who sells, installs, services or monitors an alarm system.

   ALARM NOTIFICATION. A notification intended to summon the police, which is designed either to be initiated purposely by a person or by an alarm system that responds to a stimulus characteristic of unauthorized intrusion.

   ALARM SITE. A single premises or location (one street address) to include suites, sections or units served by an alarm system or systems that are under the control of one owner.

   ALARM SYSTEM. Any mechanical or electrical device which is used to protect buildings, premises or persons from criminal acts or unauthorized entries by warning persons of a crime or unauthorized entry through the emission of a sound or the transmission of a signal or message intended to summon police of a municipality in response to a burglary or robbery. The term includes an alarm that emits an audible signal on the exterior of a structure. The term does not include an alarm installed on a vehicle, unless the vehicle is used for a habitation at a permanent site, or an alarm designed to alert only the inhabitants within the premises, which does not have a local alarm.

   ALARM UNIT. City personnel assigned to the planning and development department who issue permits, monitor false alarms and manage permit revocations on behalf of the chief of police.

   AUTOMATIC ALARM NOTIFICATION. An alarm notification sent over telephone lines, by direct connection or otherwise, a prerecorded voice message, synthesized voice message or coded signal indicating the existence of the emergency situation that the alarm system is designed to detect.

   CENTRAL STATION. An office to which remote and supervisory signaling devices are connected, where operators supervise the circuits, and/or where guards are maintained continuously to investigate signals.

   DURESS ALARM .The deliberate activation of a silent alarm by entering at a keypad a code that is different from the normal arm/disarm code or by a separate deliberate act at another device.

   CHIEF. The chief of police of the city or his or her authorized representative.

   FALSE ALARM NOTIFICATION. An alarm signal received by a law enforcement official and upon inspection of the premises, the law enforcement official determines that there is no evidence of a criminal offense, attempted criminal offense, fire or other emergency.

   LOCAL ALARM. An alarm system that emits a signal at an alarm site that is audible or visible from the exterior of a structure.

   PANIC ALARM. An audible alarm generated by the deliberate activation of a panic device.

   PERMIT HOLDER. The person designated in the application who is responsible for responding to alarms and giving access the site and who is responsible for proper maintenance and operation of the alarm system and payment of fees.

   PERSON. An individual, corporation, partnership, association, organization or any legal entity.

   SERVICE FEE. The fee paid for each false alarm notification when a burglar alarm system has signaled at least three other false alarms during the preceding 12-month period.

(Ord. 15750, § 1, passed 11-18-2003; Ord. 16622, § 1, passed 9-27-2005; Ord. 16908, § 1, passed 4-25-2006; Ord. 17522, § 5, passed 4-24-2007)

§ 12-2 ALARM PERMIT REQUIRED; FEE; APPLICATION; TRANSFER.

   (a)   A valid alarm permit issued by the chief of police is required if a permit holder operates or causes to operate an alarm system and the permit holder desires to receive police response to an alarm site. A separate permit is required for each alarm site.

   (b)   The chief shall refuse police response to any alarm notification from an alarm site that does not have a valid alarm permit unless the alarm notification is a duress alarm, a hold-up alarm, a panic alarm or a report to 911 emergency telephone or to the police department by a person other than an alarm company.

   (c)   The fee for annual permit, an annual permit renewal or a permit reinstatement for all alarm permits is specified in § 2-321 of the City Code.

   (d)   Each permit issued pursuant to this chapter shall be valid for a 12-month period for the date of issuance as indicated on the permit. No refund of a permit, permit renewal or permit reinstatement fee will be made.

   (e)   A tenant of a multifamily dwelling, apartment building or apartment complex desiring police response for an alarm notification is required obtain a valid alarm permit from the chief before operating or causing the operating of an alarms system in the tenant’s residential unit.

   (f)   The owner or property manager of an apartment complex desiring police response for an alarm notification is required to obtain separate valid alarm permits for any alarm system operated in a nonresidential area of the apartment building or apartment complex, including, but not limited to, common tenant areas, office, storage and equipment areas.

   (g)   Within 30 days of receipt of a completed application form and the required fee, the chief shall issue an alarm permit to an applicant unless the applicant has failed to pay a service fee or has had an alarm permit revoked, and the violation causing the revocation has not been corrected.

   (h)   An alarm permit cannot be transferred to another person or to alarm system except by authorization of the chief.

   (i)   A permit holder shall inform the chief of any change that alters any information listed on the permit application within two business days. No fee will be assessed for such changes.

   (j)   A permit holder shall cancel a permit for any alarm system which is removed from an alarm site or which otherwise ceases to come under the permitting requirements of this chapter. Cancellation may be accomplished by returning the permit to the chief.

   (k)   All fees owed by an applicant must be paid before a permit may be issued or renewed.

   (l)   No permit fee shall be required for a permit obtained for an alarm system at a one-family or two-family dwelling when the alarm site is determined by the chief to be occupied by a low-income family. In making such determination, the chief shall consult applicable United States government guidelines for housing and other assistance, and may require the applicant to furnish appropriate documentation regarding household income.

   (m)   No permit shall be required of state and federal governmental entities.

(Ord. 15750, § 1, passed 11-18-2003; Ord. 16908, § 2, passed 4-25-2006; Ord. 23383-09-2018, § 2, passed 9-18-2018, eff. 10-1-20188; Ord. 23820-09-2019, § 2, passed 9-10-2019, eff. 10-1-2019)