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Town of Clinton, CT
Middlesex County
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[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town of Clinton 4-13-1994. Amendments noted where applicable.]
This chapter is intended to regulate the activities and responsibilities of those people who purchase, lease, or rent alarm systems, devices or services. It is also intended to improve the reliability of those alarm systems, devices or services and to ensure that the Police Department will not be unduly diverted from responding to an actual criminal activity as a result of responding to false alarms. The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to alarms owned and/or operated by the Town of Clinton.
For the purpose of this chapter the following definitions shall apply:
ALARM DEVICE
Any device which, when activated, transmits a signal to police headquarters, or transmits a signal to a person or business who or which relays the information to police headquarters, or produces an audible or visual signal to which the Police Department is expected to respond. Excluded from this chapter are fire alarms and medical alert alarms.
ALARM USER
The owner or occupant of any premises in which an alarm is used or provided.
AUTOMATIC DIAL ALARM
A telephone device or attachment that mechanically or electronically solicits a telephone line to police headquarters and produces a prerecorded voice message to report a criminal act or other emergency (excluding fire and/or medical alert) requiring a police response.
CENTRAL OR CONTROL STATION
An office to which remote alarm devices transmit signals, where operators monitor these signals and relay the information to police headquarters.
FALSE ALARM
The activation of any alarm device or automatic dial alarm through mechanical failure, improper installation, or negligence of the user and/or his agent, including any signal or oral communication transmitted to the Police Department requesting, requiring, or resulting in the response of the Police Department when in fact there has been no unauthorized intrusion or attempted unauthorized intrusion into said premises. Excluded from this definition are those activations caused by power outages or extreme natural conditions such as trees falling, breaking lines.
KEY HOLDER
The individual(s) designated by the alarm user to respond to the premises of the alarm when notified by the Police Department.
A. 
Anyone who, on or after the date of adoption of this chapter, installs or maintains a new or existing alarm device or automatic dial alarm as defined herein shall register with the Clinton Police Department. Such registration shall be by completion of a form supplied by the Department containing the following information:
(1) 
Location of property;
(2) 
Name of owner;
(3) 
Name of occupant, if different than owner;
(4) 
Name(s) and telephone number(s) of key holder(s) and person(s) to respond to reset alarm;
(5) 
Name and type of alarm system; and
(6) 
Such other information as the Department may reasonably deem necessary.
B. 
Any new installation on or after the adoption of this chapter shall be registered in accordance with this section within 30 days of the date of said installation. Any user with an alarm device or automatic dial alarm existing as of the date of this chapter shall register the same in accordance with this section within six months from the date of the adoption hereof.
All alarm devices which use an audible bell, horn, or siren shall be equipped with an automatic shutoff device which will deactivate the audible signal within 15 minutes. All users of an audible bell, horn, or siren must comply with this section within one year of this chapter.
The Clinton Police Department will respond to all reported alarms. Upon determining that the alarm is false, the responding officer will leave a copy of the Clinton Police Department alarm report, which shall serve as a warning, with the user. If the user or his agent is not available, or the business or premises is closed and unoccupied, the officer will leave a copy under the door or in the mailbox. If neither of these can be accomplished, the notice will be mailed to the user.
A. 
Any alarm user who fails to register in accordance with § 190-3 of this chapter, or who fails to comply with § 190-4 of this chapter, shall be given a written notice of violation, and said user shall be subject to a fine in the amount of $50 payable to the Town of Clinton if the user does not comply within 10 days of the notice.
B. 
Fines for false alarms shall be imposed as follows per calendar year:
(1) 
For the first two false alarms there will be a written warning.
(2) 
For the third and fourth false alarms: $50.
(3) 
For the fifth and each subsequent false alarm: $100.
C. 
Upon receiving the fourth false alarm, the Police Department shall send a letter to the user requesting that the alarm device be inspected by a certified contractor and the contractor notify the Chief of Police, in writing, of his findings. If the alarm has been activated by employee error, the employer shall retrain the employee and notify the Chief of Police, in writing, that this has been complied with.
D. 
Intentionally activating a false alarm shall be a violation of this chapter. The user may be subject to a fine of $50 or criminal charges, or both.
No alarm device which is designed to transmit a signal directly to the Police Department shall be worked on, tested or demonstrated without first calling the Police Department and obtaining permission from the desk officer. Permission is not required when the signal goes to a central or control station. An unauthorized test constitutes a false alarm and shall be subject to the false alarm procedure contained herein.
This chapter shall be enforced by the Clinton Police Department. Any person found to be in violation of any section hereof may appeal such finding to the Board of Police Commissioners, which shall hear such appeals and may uphold, modify or revoke any fine imposed hereunder.