The purpose of this chapter is to establish standards for emergency
reporting equipment, systems and procedures and thereby maintain proper
and reliable alarm systems and limit unnecessary emergency responses
to false alarms by the City of Yonkers Police and Fire Departments.
For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall
apply:
ALARM AGENT
Any individual who is employed by a business licensee and
whose duties include operating, selling, maintaining, leasing, servicing,
repairing, altering, replacing, moving or installing, in or on any
building, place or premises, any police or fire alarm system.
ALARM NOTIFICATION
A notification intended to summon the Police or Fire Department,
which is designed to be initiated purposely by a person or by an alarm
system that responds to a stimulus characteristic of smoke, fire,
a criminal act or other emergency.
ALARM REVIEW BOARD
A Board consisting of the Police Commissioner, the Fire Commissioner
and the Corporation Counsel, or their designees.
ALARM SITE
Any police or fire alarm system, or combination thereof,
installed on or within a single building, place or premises at a specific
location.
ALARM SYSTEM
A device which emits, transmits or relays a signal intended
to summon or that would reasonably be expected to summon police or
fire services. An "alarm system" does not include a device installed
in a vehicle, unless the vehicle is permanently located at an alarm
site.
ANSWERING SERVICE
A telephone answering service that includes the service whereby
trained employees receive prerecorded voice messages from automatic
protection devices reporting an emergency at a stated location and
then relay immediately by live voice any such emergency over a special
trunkline to the communications center of the Police or Fire Department.
BUSINESS LICENSEE
Any person in the business of owning, operating, selling,
maintaining, leasing, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving
or installing police or fire alarm systems or providing answering
service within the City of Yonkers and authorized to engage in such
business under the provisions of this chapter.
CENTRAL ALARM STATION
Any facility operated by a private firm that owns or leases
a system of police or fire alarm devices, which facility is manned
by operators who receive, record or validate alarm signals and relay
information about such validated signals to the communications center
of the Police or Fire Department, when appropriate.
DIRECT ALARM
Any alarm system connected by telephone wires to the communications
center of the Police or Fire Department.
FALSE ALARM NOTIFICATION
An alarm notification when the responding Police or Fire
Department personnel find no evidence of smoke, fire, criminal activity,
attempted criminal activity or an emergency. A "false alarm notification"
will not include alarms resulting from or during electrical storms,
hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards and other acts of God; electrical
power disruption or failure; and disruptions of the telephone circuits
beyond the control of the alarm agent, licensee or permit holder.
PANIC ALARM
The activation of an alarm system in such a manner that indicates
a situation of immediate and emergent nature, such as a medical emergency
or a crime in progress.
PERMIT HOLDER
The person designated in the permit application as required
by this chapter who is responsible for responding to alarms and giving
access to the alarm installation site and who is responsible for proper
maintenance and operation of the alarm system and payment of fees.
PERSON
Any individual, corporation, firm, partnership, association,
organization or similar entity.
SPECIAL TRUNKLINE
A telephone line leading into the communications center of
the Police or Fire Department that is for the primary purpose of receiving
emergency messages that originate from automatic protection devices
and are transmitted directly or through an alarm monitoring company.
A license and permit must be renewed every year by submitting
an updated application and the required fee to the licensing authority.
It is the responsibility of the license holder or the permit holder
to submit for renewal prior to the expiration date.
[Amended 6-26-2012 by G.O. No. 14-2012; 10-28-2014 by G.O. No. 12-2014]
A. An alarm system permit holder or, if none exists, the property owner
or resident of an alarm site shall be subject to warnings, charges,
suspension or revocation of the permit, depending on the number of
false alarm notifications emitted from an alarm system within a calendar
year, as follows:
(1) The first two false alarm notifications in a calendar year shall
result in a written warning with no charge.
(2) All subsequent false alarm notifications shall be enforced as described in §
78-18 of this chapter.
(3) All false alarm notifications over four in a calendar year may result
in the suspension or revocation of the permit by the licensing authority
or may result in any other action determined by the Police or Fire
Commissioner as necessary to abate the false notifications.
B. Any person who operates a newly installed alarm system will not be
subjected to charges, suspension or revocation for the first 30 days
of the system, provided that the person applies and is issued a permit
by the licensing authority.
[Amended 10-22-2013 by L.L. No. 7-2013; 10-28-2014 by L.L. No.
16-2014; 12-8-2015 by L.L. No. 24-2015]
Any violation of this chapter shall be a Class II offense. The provisions of this chapter shall be enforced pursuant to Article VI-A of the Charter and Chapter
19 of the Code.