[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the
Town of Stony Point 2-12-1991 by L.L. No. 1-1991. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fire prevention and building construction — See Ch. 107.
This chapter shall be known as the "Local Law
Regulating Alarm Systems in the Town of Stony Point."
It is the purpose of this chapter to protect
and promote the health, safety and general welfare of the residents
of the Town of Stony Point by reducing the number of avoidable alarms
to emergency agencies. Avoidable alarms contribute to ineffective
utilization of public safety, manpower and equipment. In addition,
avoidable alarms require emergency responses which may contribute
to a high accident rate and delay responses to genuine emergencies.
This chapter seeks to ensure that police and fire communications and
ambulance facilities will be available to dispatch police, fire and
ambulance personnel for actual emergencies and to alleviate the nuisance
of audible alarms in the town. Another purpose of this chapter is
to provide the Town with the names of responsible people to contact
in the case of activation of an alarm.
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
A device or an assembly of equipment which emits an audible
response, which is intended to alert persons outside a premises to
the existence of a hazard or emergency or which is intended to alert
emergency agencies by automatically dialing an emergency agency or
which is connected to a private answering point for the purpose of
reporting such alarms to emergency agencies or which is directly connected
to an emergency agency.
Any person who owns, leases or uses an alarm system within
the Town of Stony Point except for a person whose alarm system is
on a motor vehicle or is a proprietary system. If, however, an alarm
system on a motor vehicle is connected with an alarm system at a premises
(other than a proprietary system) in the Town of Stony Point, the
person using such system is an alarm user.
The activation of an alarm system through mechanical failure,
malfunction, improper installation or the negligence of the owner,
user, custodian or lessee of an alarm system or of his employees or
agents through direct connection to an emergency agency or through
notification of an emergency agency by a private answering point or
automatic dialing device or through notification to an emergency agency
by any second party or means, indicating that an emergency situation
exists requiring responses within the Town when, in fact, an emergency
situation does not exist. An "avoidable alarm" also includes the knowing
or intentional activation of an alarm to an emergency agency when
the activator knows that an emergency situation does not exist. Avoidable
alarm does not include alarms activated by violent conditions of nature
such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or any other similar cause
beyond the control of the user of the alarm system. Activation of
an alarm system under any circumstances in which the activator reasonably
believes that an emergency situation exists is not an avoidable alarm.
Notwithstanding any language to the contrary, the defective installation
of an alarm system, the failure to repair or cause to be repaired
an alarm system or the use of defective equipment in connection with
an alarm system shall not constitute an extraordinary circumstance
beyond the reasonable condition of the alarm user.
Any Police Department, Fire Department or other law enforcement
agency or ambulance company (public or private) or other agency summoned
to respond to an emergency situation and any public safety answering
point serving the Town of Stony Point.
A signaling system which, when activated, causes an audible
signaling device to be activated outside the premises within which
the system is installed.
The address which an alarm user designates on the application
for a permit as the address to which notices are to be sent.
Any person, firm, partnership, corporation, association,
company or organization of any kind.
A business which offers the service of receiving emergency
signals, monitoring said signals and relaying them to an emergency
agency.
An alarm, sounding and/or recording within the premises protected
by the alarm, which is not intended to alert persons outside of the
premises on which the alarm system is located of a possible hazard
and is not intended to alert an emergency agency, the control center
being under the supervision of the proprietor of the protected premises.
If a "proprietary system" includes a signal line connected directly
or by means of an automatic device to an emergency agency or to a
private answering point or to a local alarm system, it thereby becomes
an "alarm system" as defined in this chapter.
The Town of Stony Point.
The provisions of this chapter shall not apply
to proprietary systems.
No person shall own, lease, operate or maintain
an alarm system within the Town of Stony Point unless such person
shall have first obtained from the Town a permit for such alarm, as
hereinafter provided.
A.
In order to obtain an alarm user permit, any person
who operates an alarm system shall submit an application for such
permit to the Town of Stony Point Police Department in the form designated
by the Police Chief, which application shall contain the following:
(1)
The name, address and telephone number of the person
applying for the permit.
(2)
The address of the premises upon which the alarm system
is or will be located.
(3)
The address to which notices required under this chapter
shall be sent.
(4)
The type of alarm systems for which the permit is
sought.
(5)
The name of the alarm business or businesses selling,
installing, monitoring, inspecting, responding to and/or maintaining
the alarm system, if applicable. A copy of the state license shall
also be provided.
[Amended 6-8-1999 by L.L. No. 7-1999]
(6)
The name, address and telephone number of one or more
persons who can be reached at any time and who are authorized by the
owner of the premises in which the system is installed to open the
premises.
(7)
Any other information relating to the alarm system
or user as the Town may require.
B.
The information required on the permit application
shall be treated as confidential and shall not be made available to
the members of the general public. The Town Board finds that the release
of such information would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal
privacy and could endanger the life or safety of persons at the premises
where an alarm system is located. The information on a permit application
shall be used by the Town only for public safety purposes.
Upon the receipt of a properly executed permit
application, the Police Department shall issue an alarm user permit
to the applicant. Alarm user permits shall not be transferable, shall
be kept on the premises where the alarm system is located and shall
be made available for inspection by emergency agency officers.
An alarm user permit shall expire when ownership
or occupancy of the home, business or other building changes or when
the information on the filed permit is no longer current.
Whenever an emergency agency files an avoidable
alarm report with the Police Department, such report shall contain
the following information:
A.
All local alarm systems shall become deactivated and
silenced automatically after a period of time not to exceed 15 minutes.
B.
Police and/or fire officials may disable an audible
alarm signal that has not been silenced prior to the expiration of
the fifteen-minute period and shall not be liable for any damage that
may result.
Avoidable alarms are strictly prohibited and
are the responsibility of the alarm users. No alarm user shall permit
an avoidable alarm.
An alarm user who violates the provisions of § 48-11 shall be guilty of an offense.
[Amended 7-10-2007 by L.L. No. 7-2007]
The Police Department, Code Enforcement Official
or Fire Inspector of the Town of Stony Point shall have the authority
to enforce violations of this chapter.
[Amended 6-8-1999 by L.L. No. 7-1999; 4-26-2022 by L.L. No. 2-2022]
A person found in violation of this chapter
shall be guilty of an offense and shall be subject to a fine not to
exceed $200 for the first offense and $1,500 for the second offense
or subsequent offense.
The provisions and requirements of this chapter
shall apply to all persons who are alarm users on the effective date
of this chapter and to all persons who subsequently become alarm users.
