For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ACT OF GOD. Events outside of human control, such as sudden floods, tornados or other natural disasters, for which no one can be held responsible.
ALARM ADMINISTRATOR. A person or persons designated by the Chief to administer, control and review false alarm reduction efforts and administer the provisions of this chapter.
ALARM DISPATCH REQUEST. A notification to the city that an alarm has been activated at a particular alarm site and that city emergency service is requested.
ALARM INSTALLATION COMPANY. A person in the business of selling, providing, maintaining, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving or installing an alarm system in an alarm site.
ALARM PERMIT. Authorization granted by the alarm administrator to an alarm user to operate an alarm system.
ALARM PERMIT APPLICATION. The written application for and alarm permit filed by an alarm user with the alarm administrator.
ALARM SITE. 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, and is further defined by the following categories:
(1) RESIDENTIAL SITE. A single-family residence and each residential unit of multi-unit building or complex which is served by an alarm system.
(2) COMMERCIAL SITE. Every premises or location where any business activity is regularly conducted and which is served by an alarm system. Each unit of a business premises or business location, if served by a separate alarm system in a multi-unit building or complex, shall be considered a separate commercial alarm system site.
(3) FINANCIAL SITE. Every premises or location of a financial institution which is required to have an alarm system pursuant to the Bank Protection Act of 1968 (12 U.S.C. § 1882).
(4) EDUCATIONAL/GOVERNMENT SITE. Every premises or location of a public or private school or school administrative office and every premises or location of any federal, state, county or municipal governmental office.
(5) CHURCH SITE. A building for public worship or religious services. Each unit of a church premises or church location, if served by a separate alarm system in a multi-unit building or complex, shall be considered a separate church alarm system site.
ALARM SYSTEM. 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 a city emergency service 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.
ALARM USER. Any person who (which) owns or operates an alarm system at an alarm site.
ARMING STATION. A device that allows control of an alarm system.
AUTOMATIC VOICE DIALER. Any electrical, electronic, mechanical, or other device capable of being programmed to send a prerecorded voice message, when activated, over a telephone line, radio or other communication system, to a city emergency service requesting dispatch.
CANCELLATION. The process where response is terminated when a monitoring company (designated by the alarm user) for the alarm site notifies the responding city emergency service that there is not an existing situation at the alarm site requiring a response after an alarm dispatch request.
CHIEF. The Chief of Police of the City of Mansfield or authorized representative.
CITY. The City of Mansfield, Texas.
CITY EMERGENCY SERVICE. Any emergency service provided by the city, including police, fire, and emergency medical services.
CITY MANAGER. The City Manager of the City of Mansfield, Texas, or the City Manager's designee.
DISABLED VETERAN EXEMPTION. You qualify for a disabled veteran alarm permit/renewal fee exemption if you are a veteran who was designated as 100% disabled while serving with the United States Armed Forces. The veteran must provide official documents to the alarm administrator or designee from either the Veteran's Administration or the branch of the armed forces that clearly reflects the 100% disability rating at the time of the application to be eligible for this exemption.
DURESS ALARM. A silent alarm system signal generated by the entry of a designated code into an arming station in order to signal that the alarm user is being forced to turn off the system and requires law enforcement response.
FALSE ALARM NOTIFICATION. An alarm notification to the City of Mansfield when a police officer is dispatched to respond to the location by the alarms system company or the responding officer finds, through an inspection of the interior or exterior of the alarm site, no evidence of an attempted or actual unauthorized intrusion, burglary, robbery or hostage taking and the officer has responded to the site within 30 minutes of the city receiving the alarm notification. Duress, panic, and hold up alarms or alarm calls cancelled prior to an officer's arrival are not considered false alarms.
HOLDUP ALARM. A silent alarm signal generated by the manual activation of a device intended to signal a robbery in progress.
LOCAL ALARM SYSTEM. Any alarm system, which is not monitored, that emits an audible alarm only at the alarm site.
MONITORING. 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 city emergency services to the alarm site.
MONITORING COMPANY. A person in the business of providing monitoring services.
PANIC ALARM. An audible alarm system signal generated by the manual activation of a device intended to signal a life threatening or emergency situation requiring emergency response.
PERSON. An individual, corporation, partnership, association, organization or similar entity.
RESPONDER. An individual capable of reaching the alarm site within 30 minutes and having access to the alarm site, the code to the alarm system and the authority to approve repairs to the alarm system.
SIA CONTROL PANEL STANDARD CP-01. The ANSI - American National Standard Institute approved Security Industry Association - SIA CP-01 Control Panel Standard, as may be updated from time to time, that details recommended design features for security system control panels and their associated arming and disarming devices to reduce the incidence of false alarms. Control panels built and tested to this standard by Underwriters Laboratory (UL), or other nationally recognized testing organizations, will be marked to state: "Design evaluated in accordance with SIA CP-01 Control Panel Standard Features for False Alarm Reduction".
TRANSFER. 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.
VERIFY. An attempt by the monitoring company, or its representative, to contact the alarm site and/or alarm user by telephone and/or other electronic means, whether or not actual contact with a person is made, to determine whether an alarm signal is valid before requesting city emergency service dispatch, in an attempt to avoid an unnecessary alarm dispatch request. For the purpose of this chapter, telephone verification shall require, as a minimum that a second call be made to a different number if the first attempt fails to reach an alarm user who can properly identify themselves to determine whether an alarm signal is valid before requesting an emergency response.
ZONES. Division of devices into which an alarm system is divided to indicate the general location from which an alarm system signal is transmitted.
(Ord. OR-1775-10, passed 8-9-10; Am. Ord. OR-1790-10, passed 11-8-10; Am. Ord. OR-2206-21, passed 4-26-21)