Village of Nissequogue, NY Chapter 38 Alarm Devices

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Nissequogue 10-16-1986 by L.L. No. 4-1986. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 38-1 Purpose.

The purpose of this chapter is to establish standards and controls for the various types of fire, intrusion, holdup and other emergency signals from fire and police alarm devices that require Fire Department or police response, investigation or safeguarding of property at the location of an event reported by a signal which is transmitted by telephone, radio or an external noisemaking device to the Police Department or Fire Department from a structure within the Village of Nissequogue, or from a central station as hereinafter defined.

§ 38-2 Definitions.

For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply:

CENTRAL ALARM STATION

Any facility operated by a private firm that owns or leases a system of fire or police alarm devices, which facility is manned by operators who receive, record or validate alarm signals and relay information about such validated signals to the Police or Fire Department when appropriate.

DIAL ALARM

Any fire or police alarm device which is a telephone device or telephone attachment that automatically or electronically selects a telephone line connected to a central alarm station or police headquarters and reproduces a prerecorded message to report a criminal act or other emergency requiring Police or Fire Department response.

DIRECT ALARM

Any fire or police alarm device connected directly by leased telephone wires from the specific location of police headquarters.

FALSE EMERGENCY ALARM

Any signal actuated by an emergency alarm to which the Police or Fire Department respond, which is not the result of a fire, holdup, robbery or other crime or emergency.

FIRE OR POLICE ALARM DEVICE

Any device which, when actuated by a fire, criminal act or other emergency requiring Police or Fire Department response, transmits a prerecorded message or other signal by telephone, radio or other means to a central alarm station or directly to the Police or Fire Department or produces an audible or visible signal designed to notify persons within audible or visible alarm range of the signal.

§ 38-3 Prohibited acts.

No fire or police alarm device shall be connected directly to the Village of Nissequogue police headquarters or Fire Department. Any fire or police alarm device which is connected directly to police headquarters or the Fire Department by a telephone or radio signal shall be disconnected no later than March 1, 1987. In addition, any police or fire alarm device which is a telephone device that automatically dials the Nissequogue Police Department or Fire Department and reproduces a prerecorded message which reports a criminal act or fire requiring Police and/or Fire Department response will, from this date forward, be illegal. Any person, business, firm, corporation or other commercial entity, which operates, maintains, installs, leases or sells said device, will be in violation of this chapter and will be subject to a fine. Also, any dial alarm, as above described, now in existence shall be removed by March 1, 1987.

§ 38-4 Direct alarm system facilities.

A. Any private firm engaged in the business of burglar alarms or fire alarms will operate a facility which is manned by a trained operator who receives, records or validates alarm signals and relays information about such validated signals to the Nissequogue Village Police Department or the Nissequogue Village Fire Department.

B. All central station alarm facilities shall have the capability to electrically supervise all alarm systems so that a trouble signal is indicated should there be a fault with any alarm system.

C. The operator of any central alarm company, who calls police headquarters or the Fire Department to report an active alarm, will identify him or herself by name and the name of the company and will provide accurate directions to the protected premises at which the alarm is sounding. The central alarm company shall further provide the name of any caretaker who is responsible for resetting an activated alarm if the property owner or lessee of the property is away. In the event that a caretaker is unavailable, the alarm company shall be responsible for resetting an activated alarm.

§ 38-5 Audible alarm devices.

A. Any property owner or lessee of property in the Village of Nissequogue shall, prior to the installation of any audible signal designed to notify persons within audible range of the signal, file with the Village Police Department a plan of such installation.

B. Any such alarm device which operates on house current must be equipped with a standby battery power supply sufficient for at least 24 hours. Any such alarm device will incorporate a device whereby the systems will automatically shut off and/or reset the audible alarm after the alarm has sounded for a maximum period of 10 minutes.

C. Within 60 days of the enactment of this chapter, all property owners or lessees presently having such an alarm device on their premises shall further be required to provide the Police Department and Fire Department with the name of a person who can respond to the premises within a reasonable time. Said person shall have the capability of securing or, in the case of fire, opening up said premises for inspection by the Fire Department.

D. Every such audible alarm device must be equipped with a switch to silence the audible alarm at the residence, and the location of each switch shall be registered with the Nissequogue Police Department.

E. The Police or Fire Department shall have the right, after proper investigation, to enter into the premises to shut down said system in the event that the continual audible alarm device is creating noise audible beyond the property limits of the residence in which it is installed, and provided further that the Village Police or Village Fire Department are unable to obtain entry from the owner and/or the owner's caretaker.

§ 38-6 Direct alarm system stickers.

[Amended 5-19-1998 by L.L. No. 2-1998]

Any property owner or lessee of the property in the Village of Nissequogue, which property owner or lessee shall have installed a central station alarm facility, shall register such alarm company with the Nissequogue Police Department, and shall display a sticker on the front door or window nearest the front door of the subject premises which shall contain the name and telephone number of the central station alarm company so servicing the premises.

§ 38-7 False alarms.

[Amended 7-17-2001 by L.L. No. 4-2001]

A. Intentional false alarms. It shall be a violation of this chapter to intentionally cause a false holdup alarm, and any person who does intentionally cause a false holdup alarm shall be subject to the penalty provisions hereof.

B. Charges for false emergency alarms.

(1) Any owner or lessee of property having a fire or police alarm device or system of fire or police alarm devices on his or its premises shall pay to the Village a charge for each and every false emergency alarm to which the Police or Fire Department responds, in each calendar year, as follows:

(a) For the first false emergency alarm in each calendar year: notification by Fire Chief; no charge.

(b) For the second false emergency alarm in each calendar year: $50.

(c) For the third to fifth false emergency alarm in each calendar year: $200.

(d) For all false emergency alarms over five in each calendar year: $250 each.

(2) The above charges shall be paid to the Village Treasurer. Failure to pay any such charges shall subject such owner, lessee or user to the penalty provisions of this chapter.

§ 38-8 Location of phone lines.

Central alarm station systems. The Village of Nissequogue is hereby authorized to prescribe the location and the manner of installation of regular business telephone lines into police headquarters from a central alarm station for the express purpose of providing direct telephone communication between a central alarm station and police headquarters for use in reporting alarms.

§ 38-9 Exceptions.

None of the provisions of this chapter shall apply to a fire or police alarm device or devices installed in a motor vehicle or trailer.

§ 38-10 Penalties for offenses.

Any person, firm or corporation who does not pay any charge or fee established in this chapter, or who violates any provision of this chapter shall be subject to a fine not in excess of $500 for each offense. A separate offense shall be deemed committed upon each day during which a violation occurs or is committed, and such violation may constitute disorderly conduct, in which event, such person shall be a disorderly person.