In this chapter, the following terms and phrases shall have the following meanings:
(a) Alarm Administrator means a Person or Persons designated by the governing authority to administer, control and review False Alarm reduction efforts and administers the provisions of this Ordinance.
(b) Alarm Dispatch Request means a notification to a law enforcement agency that an alarm, either manual or automatic, has been activated at a particular Alarm Site.
(c) Alarm Installation Company means a Person in the business of selling, providing, maintaining, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving or installing an Alarm System in an Alarm Site. This definition shall also include individuals or firms that install and service the Alarm Systems that will be used in their private or proprietary facilities. This does not include persons doing installation or repair work where such work is performed without compensation of any kind (i.e., "do-it-yourselfers").
(d) Alarm Registration (or Permits) means authorization granted by the Alarm Administrator to an Alarm User to operate an Alarm System.
(e) Alarm Site means a single fixed premises or location served by an Alarm System or Systems. Each unit, if served by a separate Alarm System in a multi-unit building or complex, shall be considered a separate Alarm Site.
(f) Alarm System means a device or series of devices, including, but not limited to, hardwired systems and systems interconnected with a radio frequency method such as cellular or private radio signals, which emit or transmit a remote or local audible, visual or electronic signal indicating an alarm condition and intended to summon law enforcement response, including Local Alarm Systems. Alarm System does not include an alarm installed in a vehicle or on someone's Person unless the vehicle or the personal alarm is permanently located at a site.
(g) Alarm User means any Person, who (which) has contracted for Monitoring, repair, installation or maintenance service from an Alarm Installation Company or Monitoring Company for an Alarm System, or who (which) owns or operates an Alarm System which is not monitored, maintained or repaired under contract.
(h) Cancellation means the process where response is terminated when a Monitoring Company (designated by the Alarm User) for the Alarm Site notifies the responding law enforcement agency that there is not an existing situation at the Alarm Site requiring law enforcement agency response after an Alarm Dispatch Request.
(i) Conversion means the transaction or process by which one Alarm Installation Company or Monitoring Company begins the servicing and/or Monitoring of a previously unmonitored Alarm System or an Alarm System previously serviced and/or monitored by another alarm company.
(j) False Alarm means an Alarm Dispatch Request to a law enforcement agency, when the responding law enforcement officer finds no evidence of a criminal offense or attempted criminal offense after having completed a timely investigation of the Alarm Site.
(k) Law Enforcement Authority means the Chief of Police, Safety Service Director or other authorized representative of a law enforcement agency.
(l) License means a license issued by the City of Lorain to an Alarm Installation Company and Monitoring Company to sell, install, monitor, repair, or replace Alarm Systems.
(m) Local Alarm System means any Alarm System, which is not monitored, that annunciates an alarm only at the Alarm Site.
(n) Monitoring means the process by which a Monitoring Company receives signals from an Alarm System and relays an Alarm Dispatch Request to the municipality for the purpose of summoning law enforcement to the Alarm Site.
(o) Monitoring Company means a Person in the business of providing Monitoring services.
(p) Person means an individual, corporation, partnership, association, organization or similar entity.
(q) Responder means an individual capable of reaching and having access to the Alarm Site, the code to the Alarm System, and the authority to approve repairs to the Alarm System.
(r) Suspension of Response means the termination of police response to alarms at a specified Alarm Site as a result of False Alarms or other violation of the alarm Ordinance.
(s) Takeover means the transaction or process by which an Alarm User takes over control of an existing Alarm System, which was previously controlled by another Alarm User.
(t) Telephone Verification - See Verify
(u) Unregistered Alarm Site means a site that has not complied with a jurisdiction's registration requirements as defined in the alarm Ordinance.
(v) Verify means an attempt by the Monitoring Company to determine the validity of an alarm signal prior to initiating an Alarm Dispatch Request.
(w) Video Verification means the transfer of video images to the monitoring company reflecting conditions existing at the protected premises at the time an alarm was activated through the use of video technology.
(x) Zones means the capability of an alarm system to separate and report incidents or alarms by area. (Example: Zone 1 - Front Door Contact; Zone 2 - Front Entry Motion Detector).
(Ord. 46-19. Passed 4-5-19.)