[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees
of the Village of Cooperstown 4-20-1995 by L.L. No. 2-1995. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
It is the purpose of this chapter to promote
the health, safety and general welfare of the residents of the Village
of Cooperstown by reducing the number of avoidable alarms to the Police
Department. Avoidable alarms contribute to ineffective utilization
of public safety manpower and equipment. In addition, avoidable alarms
require emergency responses, which may contribute to accidents or
delay responses to genuine emergencies. This chapter seeks to ensure
the Department will be available for actual emergencies and alleviate
the nuisance of avoidable alarms in the Village.
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
A device or assembly of equipment which emits an audible
signal 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 Otsego County Communications Center.
The activation of an alarm system indicating that an emergency
situation exists requiring response, when, in fact, no such situation
actually existed.[1]
An alarm system designed or intended to be used for the purpose
of announcing the existence of a robbery, intrusion or other threat
to life or property which would require a law enforcement agency to
respond and investigate the cause of the activation.
A.Â
Limitations. No police alarm device shall be connected
to or use any telephone line connected to Police Headquarters except
those authorized by the Chief of Police. The owner of any such police
alarm device which is connected either directly or indirectly to Police
Headquarters by a telephone line which has not been authorized for
use for such purpose shall be in violation of this chapter and be
subject to the penalty provisions hereof.
B.Â
Intentional false alarms. It shall be a violation
of this chapter to intentionally cause a false alarm, and any person
who does intentionally cause a false alarm shall be subject to the
penalty provision hereof.
C.Â
False alarms and charges. Any owner or lessee of property
having a police alarm device or system of police alarm devices on
his premises on the effective date of this chapter shall pay to the
Village Clerk a charge for each false alarm to which the Police Department
responds in each calendar year as set by the Board of Trustees. Alarms
caused by power failures, electrical storms or telephone line trouble
shall be excepted. Such charges shall be paid to the Village Clerk
upon invoice by the Village. The above charges shall be waived by
the Village Clerk if it is established by the owner or lessee, to
the reasonable satisfaction of the Chief of Police, that the alarm
to which the Police Department responded was not a false alarm, and
the Chief so certifies to the Village Clerk. The failure to pay any
such charges shall subject the owner, lessee or user to the penalty
provisions of this chapter.
Any person, firm or corporation who does not
pay any charge or fee established in connection with this chapter
or who violates any provision of this chapter shall be subject to
a fine not to exceed $250 for each offense or imprisonment for not
more than 15 days, or both. A separate offense shall be deemed committed
upon each day during which a violation occurs or is committed.
