(a) Generally. Each false alarm requires the response of public safety personnel, involves unnecessary expense to the village, increases the risk of injury to persons or damage to property, and dilutes the overall public safety protection to the village. Such false alarms constitute a public nuisance and must be abated.
(b) Intentional. No person shall intentionally cause the activation of a burglar/fire alarm device knowing that no criminal activity, fire, or other emergency exists.
(c) False alarms; administrative charges. Any person, business, corporation, or other entity having permissible alarm system with alarm device(s) at one or more locations in accordance with this chapter shall pay to the village a charge for false alarms responded to by the Police or Fire Departments according to the following schedule for each calendar year for each location connected, separate accounts to be kept for false alarms as to criminal activity and false alarms for fire or other emergencies.
(1) Responded to by Police Department:
a. First two false alarms for a location: No charge;
b. Third false alarm per location: $25;
c. Fourth false alarm per location: $35;
d. Fifth false alarm per location: $45; and
e. Sixth and subsequent false alarm per location: $65.
(2) All false alarms responded to by Fire Department firefighting personnel and apparatus, in addition to a police response:
a. First two false alarms for a location: No charge.
b. Third and subsequent false alarm per location: $100.
(3) This subsection (c) is intended to impose a strict liability on the person, business, corporation, or other entity responsible for alarm connection to either the police alarm panel or to the alarm receiving firm to which the Police or Fire Departments have responded, and shall be applied regardless of the cause of the false alarm, excepting those alarms excluded from the definition of false alarm. Failure to pay such administrative charge(s) in and of itself shall constitute a violation of this section, and such charge(s) shall be collectible as a forfeiture upon prosecution and conviction thereof, together with an additional forfeiture(s) which may be imposed under subsection (d) below for violation of this section for allowing or maintaining condition(s) or act(s) violative of the intent of this section of eliminating and minimizing the occurrence of false alarms, together with costs of prosecution.
(d) Other violations. Any person, corporation, or other entity violating this chapter in any manner, other than for collection of unpaid administrative charges treated in the preceding subsection (a) above, shall be subject to forfeiture as provided in § 1-1-6 of this code. When any premises located in the village is owned, leased, or occupied by two or more persons as joint tenants, tenants in common, joint lessees, or in any other manner, each person shall see that the provisions of this chapter are complied with, and each person may be subjected to a penalty on violation of this section.
(e) Default of payment for forfeiture and/or costs. On default of payment of forfeiture and/or costs under the immediately preceding subsections (c) and/or (d) above, such person or responsible officer of the violating corporation or other entity shall be confined in the County Jail until the same be paid, but not to exceed a length of time specified by the court which length of time shall not exceed six months. Upon nonpayment of the fee, the amount due may be placed on the tax roll as a special charge pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 66.0627.
(Prior Code, § 5-4-9)