In this article, unless the context otherwise requires:
Act of God means an unusual, extraordinary, sudden and unexpected manifestation of the forces of nature, which cannot be prevented by reasonable human care, skill or foresight. Such events include tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, and other similarly violent conditions.
Alarm administrator means a person designated by the chief of police under this article to administer, control, and review false alarm reduction efforts and administer the provisions of this article.
Alarm agent means any person, whether an employee, independent contractor or otherwise, who acts on behalf of an alarm business and leases, rents, maintains, services, repairs or installs alarm systems, other than alarm systems located on the person's own property or the property of the person's employer.
Alarm business means any person that, either individually or through a third party, engages in the business of providing alarm monitoring services or the business of selling, leasing, renting, maintaining, repairing or installing alarm systems, devices or services. Alarm businesses may also monitor alarms.
Alarm site means each separate physical location which houses an alarm system. In the instances of an apartment complex or other residential rental property, both the facility and business itself, as well as each individual unit that has an individual alarm system, is an alarm site.
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 a public safety response. Alarm system does not include an alarm installed in a vehicle or on someone's person unless the vehicle or personal alarm is permanently located at a site.
Alarm user means the owner, lessor, or occupant, agent, employee, operator or manager of property upon which an alarm system is located, as well as a party or person who actually causes a false alarm.
Alarm user awareness class means a class conducted for the purpose of educating alarm users about the responsible use, operation and maintenance of alarm systems and the problems created by false alarms.
Audible alarm means a device designed for the detection of an unauthorized entry on premises and which when activated generates an audible sound on the premises. For the purposes of this definition, an audible alarm does not include an alarm installed in a vehicle or on someone's person.
Common cause means a common technical difficulty or malfunction which causes an alarm system to generate a series of false alarms, all of which occur within a twenty-four (24) hour period. The series of false alarms shall be counted as one (1) false alarm only if the cause of the series of false alarms is repaired before it generates additional false alarms, documentation of the repair is provided to the alarm administrator, and during the thirty (30) day period following the repair, the alarm system generates no additional false alarms from the documented cause.
Controlling person means all current officers, managers and directors, and any person who is a stockholder, member, general or limited partner or owner, or who holds more than ten (10) percent of the ownership, management rights, control or claim to the profits of the business. Controlling person does not include current officers, directors or shareholders of stock in any corporation that is traded on a national stock exchange.
Duress alarm means an alarm system signal generated by the entry of a designated code into an alarm system in order to signal that the alarm user is being forced to turn off the system and needs law enforcement response.
Emergency means the commission or attempted commission of a robbery or burglary, or other crime of violence, or other life/safety issue.
Enhanced call verification, verify or verification means two (2) documented attempts by the company monitoring an alarm, or its representative, to contact the site of the alarm and/or the 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 law enforcement dispatch, in an attempt to avoid an unnecessary request for response. (Excluding a holdup, robbery, panic, or duress alarm activation.)
False alarm means an alarm signal, sound or message which results in a response by the police department or fire department where an emergency does not exist, or which is not caused by or is not the result of a criminal act or unauthorized entry.
Holdup alarm means an alarm signal generated by the manual activation of a device intended to signal a robbery in progress.
Licensing authority means the city finance department, except that when referring to reciprocal licenses, it means the city department or the police department, as applicable, who has the authority to issue licenses pursuant to the reciprocal alarm licensing ordinance of another city or town.
Medical alert device means a device designed to help a patient obtain adequate help during a medical emergency.
Monitoring/monitored alarm means the process by which a person receives signals from an alarm system and relays a request for response to the police department or fire department for the purpose of summoning response to the alarm site.
Monitoring company means a person in the business of providing monitoring services.
Panic alarm means any device or system designed to be victim activated to alert others to the existence of an emergency.
Person means any natural person, employee, company, firm, partnership, association, corporation, agent, manager, lessor, lessee, operator or entity.
Primary alarm business license means a license issued by the licensing authority of a city or town that has adopted the reciprocal alarm licensing ordinance to an alarm business that has its headquarters, main office, corporate office or designated branch of the alarm business located within this state. In the event that an alarm business has its headquarters, main office, corporate office or designated branch in a city or town that does not require the licensing of alarm businesses, the alarm business may apply for a primary alarm business license from any city or town in this state that has adopted the reciprocal licensing ordinance.
Proprietor alarm means any alarm or alarm system which is owned by the alarm user and is not maintained or monitored by an alarm business.
Proprietor alarm owner means the owner of a proprietor alarm.
Reciprocal alarm business license means a license issued by the licensing authority of a city or town that has adopted the reciprocal alarm licensing ordinance, and in which that alarm business conducts business. This license shall be issued only to an alarm business that has a valid primary alarm business license from a similar licensing authority within this state that has adopted the reciprocal alarm licensing ordinance.
Responsible party means an individual capable of reaching the alarm site within sixty (60) minutes and having access to the alarm site, the code to the alarm system and the authority to accept responsibility for the alarm site.
Robbery, holdup or panic alarm means a device or system designed to be victim activated to alert others to the existence of an emergency.
SIA control panel standard CP-01 means 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."
Verify or verification means two (2) attempts by the company monitoring an alarm, or its representative, to contact the site of the alarm and/or the 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 law enforcement dispatch, in an attempt to avoid an unnecessary request for response.
(Ord. No. 9975, § 1, 5-24-04, eff. 1-1-05; Ord. No. 10967, § 3, 2-28-12, eff. 4-1-12)