In this chapter, the following words and phrases have the meanings here ascribed to them, unless the context otherwise requires:
ALARM AGENT: A person employed by an alarm company operator whose duties include altering, installing, maintaining, moving, repairing, replacing or servicing an alarm system.
ALARM COMPANY OPERATOR: A person licensed as an alarm company operator by the California bureau of security and investigative services, pursuant to the provisions of Business and Professions Code division 3, chapter 11.6 (starting at section 7590) and doing business as such within the limits of the city of Reedley.
ALARM SYSTEM: An assembly of equipment and devices arranged to signal the presence of a hazard or emergency at a particular location requiring the urgent attention of the police and to which the police are expected to respond. An alarm system does not include such alarm equipment and devices installed in vehicles or such alarm equipment and devices used for the detection of fire.
AUTOMATIC DIALING SYSTEM: Any alarm system which automatically sends over regular telephone lines, by direct connection or otherwise, a prerecorded voice message or coded signal indicating the existence of an emergency situation that the alarm system is designed to detect.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE PERSONNEL: Any employee or officer either of the police department or of the fire department of the city.
FALSE ALARM: The activation of the alarm of an alarm system, which activation constitutes the false reporting of an emergency, whether caused by mechanical failure, malfunction, improper installation or the negligence of a subscriber or of a subscriber's employee or agent, provided such activation occasions a response from emergency response personnel. The term "false alarm" shall not include the activation of an alarm caused by hurricane, tornado, earthquake or other condition that is clearly beyond the control of a subscriber.
PANIC ALARM: A manually operated switch or button that sends an alarm intended to elicit an emergency response by any employee or officer of the police department of the city to any place from which it is otherwise impractical to place a telephone call or at which the use of a telephone is unavailable to the alarm user.
PERMIT APPLICATION: A form established by the city, on which a subscriber must provide information consisting of the subscriber's name, address, day and night telephone numbers, location of the premises where an alarm is located, the name of the company responsible for installing and servicing the alarm, and the names, phone numbers and addresses of at least two (2) other responsible parties in case the subscriber cannot be reached upon activation of a subscriber's alarm. Other information that may be required to be placed on a permit application, in order to evaluate and act upon the permit application, shall be prescribed by the chief of police.
PERSON: Any individual, firm, company, association, organization, partnership, limited liability company or corporation.
SUBSCRIBER: Any person, including, but not limited to, the United States of America, the state of California, any political subdivision of the state of California, any governmental agency or other public or municipal corporation, which purchases, leases, contracts for, or otherwise obtains, an alarm system, or which contracts for the servicing or the maintenance of an alarm system. (Ord. 98-07, 4-28-1998)