A. Prohibited: It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly activate an alarm system for the purpose of summoning the police if such person knows or suspects that there is no actual or prospective emergency.
(1987 Code § 18-91)
B. Charges: When six (6) or more false alarms are received from any subscriber’s premises during any calendar year by the alarm monitoring and control system, a service charge of twenty five dollars ($25.00) for the seventh false alarm and twenty five dollars ($25.00) for each and every false alarm thereafter shall be assessed and billed to the subscriber.
(1987 Code § 18-92)
C. Subscriber Request To Reconsider Service Charges: Within fifteen (15) days after receiving a bill for false alarm charges, the subscriber may file a written request with the Chief of Police to reconsider whether such alarm was false. Such request shall state the subscriber’s opinion with respect to the cause of the alarm and shall indicate the facts upon which the subscriber bases said opinion. Within five (5) days after the receipt of such a request from a subscriber, the Chief of Police, or the Chief’s designee, shall make a determination whether the alarm was false or not and shall notify the subscriber of that decision in writing by personal delivery or by mail.
(Ord. 19-1186, 2-18-2019)
D. Disconnection Of Subscriber Premises From Police Alarm System:
1. If more than ten (10) false alarms are received from the same premises in any calendar year, the Chief of Police may initiate proceedings to disconnect said premises from the police alarm system by forwarding a written request for such disconnection proceedings, along with any and all reports of false alarms at such premises in such calendar year, to the City Council.
2. Upon receipt of such request from the Chief of Police, the City Council shall set a date for hearing to consider whether or not the subscriber’s premises should be disconnected from the police alarm system. A written notice of such hearing and hearing date shall be mailed to the subscriber at least fifteen (15) days prior to such hearing date.
3. The City Council shall conduct the aforesaid disconnection hearings and the Chief of Police and subscriber shall be permitted to present evidence in support of or in opposition to such disconnection. At said hearing, a determination by a majority vote of the Corporate Authorities, shall be made whether or not to disconnect the subscriber’s premises from the police alarm system and the City Clerk shall notify the subscriber of the Council’s decision in writing within seven (7) days of the hearing date.
4. In determining whether or not to disconnect any subscriber’s premises from the police alarm system, the City Council may consider the following factors:
a. The number of false alarms from the subscriber’s premises.
b. Whether or not the subscriber responded to deactivate the false alarms within one hour after such false alarms began.
c. The efforts made, if any, by the subscriber to control, direct and instruct the subscriber’s employees with regard to the proper use of the subscriber’s alarm system.
d. The efforts made by the subscriber to repair and maintain the alarm system in proper working order.
e. Any other matter the City Council deems relevant.
(1987 Code § 18-94)