This chapter shall be known as the "Village of Woodville Alarm
Systems Ordinance."
The purpose of this chapter is to provide minimum standards
and regulations applicable to burglar, fire and holdup alarm systems,
alarm businesses and alarm users. Both society in general and public
safety in particular will be aided by providing a useful and usable
system of private security which properly balances quick response
by law enforcement with minimization of law enforcement time spent
on alarms which are false or otherwise not the intended function of
private security systems.
Within this chapter, the following terms, phrases and words
and their derivations have the meanings given herein:
ALARM BUSINESS
Any business in which the owners or employees engage in the
activity of altering, installing, leasing, maintaining, repairing,
replacing, selling, or servicing alarm systems.
ALARM SYSTEM
An assembly of equipment and devices or a single device such
as a solid-state unit which plugs directly into one-hundred-ten-volt
AC line or otherwise receives electrical energy arranged to signal
the presence of a hazard requiring urgent attention and to which the
Police Department or the United Fire and Rescue District is expected
to respond. In this chapter, the term "alarm system" shall include
the terms "automatic holdup alarm system," "burglar alarm system"
and "manual holdup alarm system," as those terms are hereinafter defined,
and fire alarm systems which monitor temperature, humidity or any
other condition directly related to the detection of fire. Excluded
from this definition and from the coverage of this chapter are alarm
systems used to alert or signal persons within the premises in which
the alarm system is located of an attempted unauthorized intrusion
or holdup attempt or fire.
ANNUNCIATOR
The instrumentation of an alarm console at the receiving
terminal of a signal line through which both visual and audible signals
show when an alarm device at a particular location has been activated
or which, in the event of malfunction, may also indicate line trouble.
ANSWERING SERVICE
A telephone answering service providing among its services
the service of receiving on a continuous basis through trained employees
emergency signals from alarm systems and thereafter immediately relaying
the message by live voice to the dispatch center of the Police Department
or United Fire and Rescue District.
AUTOMATIC DIALING DEVICE
An alarm system which automatically sends over regular telephone
lines, by direct connection or otherwise, a prerecorded voice message
or coded signal indicating the existence of the emergency situation
that the alarm system is designed to detect.
BURGLAR ALARM SYSTEM
An alarm system which signals an entry or attempted entry
into the area protected by the system.
CENTRAL STATION
An office to which remote alarm and supervisory signaling
devices are connected, where operators supervise the circuits.
DIRECT CONNECT
An alarm system which has the capability of transmitting
system signals to the Police Department or United Fire and Rescue
District.
FALSE ALARM
The activation of an alarm system through mechanical failure,
malfunction, improper installation or the negligence of the owner
or lessee of an alarm system or of his employees or agents or other
undetermined cause. "False alarm" does not include alarms caused by
tornadoes or other violent climatic conditions.
INTERCONNECT
To connect an alarm system to a voice-grade telephone line,
either directly or through a mechanical device that utilizes a standard
telephone, for the purpose of using the telephone line to transmit
an emergency message upon the activation of the alarm system.
MANUAL HOLDUP ALARM SYSTEM
An alarm system in which the signal transmission is initiated
by the direct action of the person attacked or by an observer thereof.
PRIMARY TRUNK LINE
A telephone line leading directly into the dispatch center
of the Police Department or United Fire and Rescue District that is
for the purpose of handling emergency calls on a person-to-person
basis and which is identified as such by a specific number included
among the emergency numbers listed in the telephone directory or numbers
in sequence therewith.
SUBSCRIBER
A person who buys or leases or otherwise obtains an alarm
system and thereafter contracts with or hires an alarm business to
monitor and/or service the alarm system.
The Chief of Police shall promulgate such rules as may be necessary
for the implementation of this chapter. Such rules shall require the
approval of the Village Board and shall be open to inspection by the
public.
No person shall interconnect any automatic dialing device to
a Police Department or United Fire and Rescue District primary trunk
line. No person shall permit such devices which were installed prior
to the effective date of this chapter to remain interconnected from
any property owned or controlled by that person. Such devices may
be connected to a central station or an answering service. Relaying
messages so received to the Police Department or United Fire and Rescue
District shall only be done person to person on the telephone line.
Direct connections to the Police Department or United Fire and
Rescue District are prohibited but may be authorized pursuant to the
direct connection policies of the Department and District. These policies
are on file with the Police Department and United Fire and Rescue
District.
When the service provided by an alarm business to its subscribers
is disrupted for any reason by the alarm business or the alarm business
becomes aware of such disruption, it shall promptly notify its subscribers
by telephone that protection is no longer being provided. If, however,
the alarm business has written instructions from its subscriber not
to make such notification by telephone during certain hours, the alarm
business may comply with such instructions.
The Village of Woodville shall be under no duty or obligation
to a subscriber or to any other person concerning any provision of
this chapter, including but not limited to any defects in an alarm
system or any delays in transmission or response to any alarm; however,
this in no way shall be construed that it is not the proper function
of law enforcement to respond to alarms.