The purpose of this chapter is to establish standards and controls
of various types of intrusion, holdup, fire alarm and other emergency
signals from alarm devices that require Police Department or Fire
Department responses for investigation, action and safeguarding of
property at the location of an event which is reported by a signal
transmitted by telephone, leased wire, radio or in any other way relayed
to the Police Department or Fire Department by an alarm device requiring
investigation or other action by any person acting in response to
a signal actuated by an alarm device, including such devices already
in use within the Village.
For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall
apply:
ALARM DEVICE
Any mechanism, equipment or device which is designed to operate,
automatically or manually, to transmit an audible or visible signal,
message or warning from one place to another location.
FALSE ALARM
Any signal actuated through an alarm system to which the
Police Department or Fire Department responds which is not the result
of a holdup, robbery or other crime, fire or other emergency.
PERMIT
A permit obtained on a form supplied by the Village Clerk
of the Village of Sleepy Hollow and approved by either the Police
Chief of the Police Department or the Fire Chief of the Fire Department
of the Village of Sleepy Hollow.
No person, firm, partnership or corporation shall operate or
maintain an alarm system which automatically transmits a signal, message
or warning to the Fire Department or Police Department without first
obtaining a permit for the same as required by this chapter.
The Chief of either the Police Department or the Fire Department
shall have the right to inspect any alarm system prior to issuance
of the permit for its operation and may cause an inspection of such
system to be made at any time after issuance of a permit to determine
whether it is being used in conformity of the terms of the permit
and the provisions of this chapter.
[Amended 1-5-1981 by L.L. No. 1-1981; 8-16-1994 by L.L. No. 11-1994]
The annual permit fees for the alarm system shall be as follows:
A. Business location: to be established and determined by the Board of Trustees from time to time and set forth in the fee schedule included at the end of Chapter
200, Fees.
B. Private home: to be established and determined by the Board of Trustees from time to time and set forth in the fee schedule included at the end of Chapter
200, Fees.
C. Church or school: no charge.
No alarm system shall be connected to either the Police Department
or Fire Department for which an application by permit is not on file
with the Village Clerk and which has not been approved by either the
Police Chief or the Fire Chief.
[Amended 3-16-1994 by L.L. No. 4-1994; 1-22-2013 by L.L. No. 1-2013]
It shall be a violation of this chapter to cause or permit a
false alarm to be made, and any person who causes or permits to be
made such false alarm shall be subject to the penalty provision of
this chapter.
[Amended 1-5-1981 by L.L. No. 1-1981; 3-16-1994 by L.L. No. 4-1994]
A. Any owner or lessee of property having an alarm device or system
of devices on his or its premises and any user of any services or
equipment furnished pursuant to this chapter shall pay to the Village
of Sleepy Hollow, upon demand, a charge for each and every false alarm,
as defined within this chapter, to which Police Department or Fire
Department personnel respond in each calendar year as follows:
[Amended 1-22-2013 by L.L. No. 1-2013]
(1) First two false alarms: no charge; a warning only.
(2) Three to four false alarms: $75 per occurrence.
(3) Five to 10 false alarms: $150 per occurrence.
(4) More than 10 false alarms: $200 per occurrence.
B. More than five false alarms in any calendar year may constitute grounds
for the suspension or revocation of an alarm user's permit. Any
alarm user charged with a false alarm penalty as prescribed herein
may appeal such charge or penalty, in writing, within 10 days after
receipt of the notice of such penalty and may appear before the Mayor
and Board of Trustees at a place and time selected by the Board. False
alarm penalties or charges may be waived only by order of the Mayor
and Board of Trustees. Failure to pay a false alarm charge or penalty
as prescribed shall subject such alarm user to the suspension or revocation
of his/her alarm user permit, as determined by the Mayor and Board
of Trustees.
The Police Chief or the Fire Chief may revoke any permit issued
pursuant to the provisions of this chapter after giving written notice
to the holder of the permit and an opportunity for the holder of the
permit to be heard by the Board of Trustees, if the Police Chief or
the Fire Chief determines that the alarm system installed pursuant
to said permit has been installed, maintained or operated in violation
of the provisions of this chapter or any term or condition contained
in said permit or for failure to pay the annual permit fee as specified
in this chapter.
[Amended 1-22-2013 by L.L. No. 1-2013]
Any person, firm or corporation who or which does not pay any
charge or fee established in this chapter or who or which violates
any provision of this chapter shall be subject to a fine in an amount
which shall not be in excess of $250 for each offense. A separate
offense shall be deemed committed upon each day during which a violation
occurs or is committed.