This chapter shall be known as the "City of
Weyauwega 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 means 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 single device such
as a solid-state unit which plugs directly into a 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 or Fire Department 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 or
Fire Department.
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 or Fire Department.
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 or Fire Department 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 City Council and shall be open to
inspection by the public.
No person shall interconnect any automatic dialing
device to a Police or Fire Department 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 or Fire Department shall only be done person to person
on the telephone line.
Direct connections to the Police or Fire Department
are prohibited but may be authorized pursuant to the direct connection
policies of each Department, a copy of which is on file with the Chief
of Police and Fire Chief.
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 City of Weyauwega 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.