[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Board of the Village of Belleville as Title 5, Ch. 4, of the 1994 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Police Department — See Ch. 130.
Fires and fire prevention — See Ch. 272.
Nuisances — See Ch. 372.
This chapter shall be known as the "Village of Belleville Alarm Systems Ordinance."
The purpose of this chapter is to provide minimum standards and regulations applicable to burglar, fire and holdup alarm systems, alarm companies 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 meaning given herein:
ALARM COMPANY
Any business in which the owners or employees engage in the activity of altering, installing, leasing, maintaining, repairing, replacing, selling, or servicing alarm systems.[1]
ALARM SYSTEM
An assembly of equipment and devices or a single device 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.
[Amended 4-5-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-04-01[2]]
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.
AUTOMATIC HOLDUP ALARM SYSTEM
An alarm system in which the signal transmission is initiated by the direct action of the robber.
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 or her 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 company to monitor and/or service the alarm system.[3]
[1]
Editor's Note: Throughout this chapter, the term "alarm business" was amended to "alarm company" at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).
[2]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).
[3]
Editor's Note: Original Sec. 5-4-4, Administrative rules, which immediately followed this section, was repealed 4-5-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-04-01.
[Added 4-5-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-04-01[1]]
All audible alarm systems shall be equipped with a minimum twenty-second time delay in case the alarm is accidentally tripped. All audible alarms shall be equipped with a fifteen-minute automatic shutoff or some other secure method of turning off the alarm.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).
A. 
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.
B. 
The Belleville Public Works Department may use or cause to be used any telephone or electronic device or attachment that automatically selects the public telephone trunk line of the Police or Fire Department or any other department of the Village of Belleville which reproduces a prerecorded message to report a problem within the water or sanitary sewer system.
[Added 4-5-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-04-01]
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.
A. 
No alarm company or alarm system designed to transmit emergency messages to the Police Department shall be tested or demonstrated without prior notification and approval of the Police Department. Alarm companies or alarm system owners or lessees will be advised on proper test procedure.
[Amended 4-5-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-04-01]
B. 
Alarm systems shall be in compliance with all pertinent response policies of the Police Department.
[Amended 4-5-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-04-01]
When the service provided by an alarm company to its subscribers is disrupted for any reason by the alarm company or the alarm company becomes aware of such disruption, it shall promptly notify its subscribers by telephone that protection is no longer being provided. If, however, the alarm company has written instructions from its subscriber not to make such notification by telephone during certain hours, the alarm company may comply with such instructions.
A. 
Generally. Each false alarm requires the response of public safety personnel, involves unnecessary expense to the Village, increases the risk of injury to persons or damage to property and dilutes the overall public safety protection to the Village. Such false alarms constitute a public nuisance and must be abated.
B. 
Intentional. No person shall intentionally cause the activation of an alarm system knowing that no criminal activity, fire or other emergency exists.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).
C. 
Administrative charges.
[Amended 4-5-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-04-01]
(1) 
Any person, business, corporation or other entity having a permissible alarm system with alarm device(s) at one or more locations in accordance with this chapter shall pay to the Village a charge for false alarms responded to by the Police or Fire Department per the Municipal Court Deposit Schedule for each twelve-month period for each location. Separate accounts shall be kept for false alarms as to criminal activity and false alarms for fire or other emergencies.
(2) 
This subsection is intended to impose a strict liability on the person, business, corporation or other entity responsible for alarm connection to either the police alarm panel or an alarm receiving firm to which the Police or Fire Department has responded and shall be applied regardless of the cause of the false alarm, excepting those alarms excluded from the definition of "false alarm." Failure to pay such administrative charge(s) in and of itself shall constitute a violation of this section, and such charge(s) shall be collectible as a forfeiture upon prosecution and conviction thereof, together with an additional forfeiture(s) which may be imposed under Subsection D hereof for violation of this section for allowing or maintaining a condition(s) or act(s) violating the intent of this section of eliminating and minimizing the occurrence of false alarms, together with costs of prosecution.
D. 
Other violations. Any person, corporation or other entity violating this chapter in any manner, other than for collection of unpaid administrative charges treated in the preceding Subsection C of this section, shall be subject to forfeiture as provided in § 1-4 of this Code. When any premises located in the Village is owned, leased or occupied by two or more persons as joint tenants, tenants in common, joint lessees, or in any other manner, each person shall see that the provisions of this chapter are complied with, and each person may be subjected to a penalty on violation of this section.
E. 
Default of payment of forfeiture and/or costs. On default of payment of forfeiture and/or costs under the immediately preceding Subsection C and/or D, the amount due may be placed on the tax roll as a special charge pursuant to § 66.0627, Wis. Stats.
[Amended 4-5-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-04-01]
The Village of Belleville 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 of 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.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original Sec. 5-4-11, Private alarm system permit, and Sec. 5-4-12, Revocation of permits, which immediately followed this section, were repealed 4-5-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-04-01.