For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ALARM AGENT. Any person who is employed by an alarm business, either directly or indirectly, whose duties include any of the following: selling, maintaining, leasing, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving or installing in any building, structure or facility any alarm system.
ALARM IDENTIFICATION NUMBER. A number issued to an alarm subscriber by the County Sheriff’s Department for the purpose of identifying the alarm system for dispatching and record keeping purposes.
ALARM SUBSCRIBER. Any person that leases, contracts for, buys or otherwise obtains and operates an alarm system for the purpose of obtaining response to the alarm from the police, and on whose premises an alarm system is maintained, excluding audible alarms on motor vehicles.
ALARM SYSTEMS. Burglary or detection systems that are designed to communicate to the Sheriff’s Department or a commercial alarm company to alert the Sheriff’s Department of danger to persons or property.
AUTOMATIC DIALING DEVICES. An alarm system, which automatically sends over the telephone switching network, a prerecorded voice message or coded signal indicating the existence of an unlawful act to which a police response is required.
BURGLARY ALARM SYSTEM. Any device which is used for the detection of burglary or attempted burglary, or for alerting others of the commission of a burglary within a building, structure, facility or enclosure and which emits a sound or transmits a signal or message when activated for the purpose of deterring the intruder or notifying another person of the happening, or both.
BURGLARY DETECTION SYSTEM. Any device designed to detect an unauthorized entry into a residence or place of business and transmit an alarm to the Sheriff’s Department or a commercial alarm company.
BUSINESS. Any business engaged in any of the activities of selling, maintaining, replacing, moving, monitoring, responding to a burglary alarm or holdup alarm system, or causing any of these activities to take place.
EMERGENCY ALARM SYSTEM. Any other device not included above, designed to alert the Sheriff’s Department of danger to persons or property.
FALSE ALARM. The activation of a burglary or robbery alarm, whereby the police are summoned to a location, and neither of these crimes is occurring nor is there any evidence of these crimes having occurred, or having been attempted. Alarms due to severe weather conditions, due to vandalism, destruction of property, or attributable to telephone line faults, as so determined by the Sheriff’s Department, shall not be counted as FALSE ALARMS under this chapter.
LOCAL ALARM. A device which, when activated, emits a sound of limited duration for the purpose of obtaining police response to the alarm.
MONITORED ALARM. A device used for the detection of unauthorized entry in premises, and which, when activated, generates an inaudible signal to a monitoring station. A MONITORED ALARM may also generate an audible sound on the premises.
PANIC ALARM. A device used for residential applications only with a predetermined type of alarm transmission.
ROBBERY ALARM SYSTEM. Any device which protects a business and is designed or used for alerting others of the commission of a robbery or attempted robbery within a building, structure, facility or both, and which emits a sound or transmits a signal or message when activated for the purpose of deterring the intruder or notifying another person of the happening, or both.
STRUCTURE. Any building built for support, shelter or enclosure of persons or property.
TELEPHONE COMPANY. The utility that furnishes telephone service to the county.
(1993 Code, § 73.02) (Ord. 84-4, passed 4-18-1984; Ord. 92-5, passed 3-20-1992)