[HISTORY: Adopted by the Legislative Council of the Town
of Newtown 10-28-2015.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Noise — See Ch. 170.
[1]
This ordinance also superseded former Ch. 104, Alarm Systems,
adopted by the Legislative Council 9-3-2008.
A.
The purpose of this chapter is to encourage alarm users and alarm
companies to properly use and maintain the operational effectiveness
of alarm systems in order to improve the reliability of alarm systems
and reduce or eliminate false alarms in Newtown.
B.
This chapter governs alarm systems intended to summon law enforcement
responses and requires registration, establishes fees, provides for
penalties for violations, establishes a system of administration,
and sets conditions for suspension of emergency response or revocation
of registration.
For the purpose of this chapter, the following terms and phrases
shall have the following meanings:
Person or persons, designated by the First Selectman, who
shall administer, control and review false alarm reduction efforts
and administer the provisions of this chapter.
A notification to an emergency communications center that
an alarm, either manual or automatic, has been activated at a particular
alarm site.
A person in the business of selling, providing, maintaining,
servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving or installing an
alarm system in an alarm site.
Authorization granted by the alarm administrator to an alarm
user to operate an alarm system.
A detectable signal, audible or visual, generated by an alarm
system, to which law enforcement is requested to respond.
A single fixed premises or location served by an alarm system
or systems. Each unit, if served by a separate alarm system in a multiunit
building or complex, shall be considered a separate alarm site.
A device or series of devices, including, but not limited
to, hard-wired systems and systems interconnected with a radio frequency
method such as cellular or private radio signals, which emit or transmit
a remote or local audible, visual or electronic signal indicating
an alarm condition and intended to summon law enforcement, including
local alarm systems. "Alarm system" does not include an alarm installed
in a vehicle or on someone's person unless the vehicle or the
personal alarm is permanently located at a site. For the purposes
of this chapter, "alarm system" excludes smoke, fire and carbon monoxide
detectors.
Any person who has contracted for monitoring, repair, installation
or maintenance service from an alarm installation company or monitoring
company for an alarm system or who owns or operates an alarm system
which is not monitored, maintained or repaired under contract.
A device that allows control of an alarm system.
Any electrical, electronic, mechanical, or other device capable
of being programmed to send a prerecorded voice message, when activated,
over a telephone line, radio or other communication system, to a law
enforcement, public safety or emergency services agency requesting
dispatch.
The process whereby response is terminated when a monitoring
company for the alarm site notifies the emergency communications center
representing the responding law enforcement agency units that there
is not an existing situation at the alarm site requiring law enforcement
agency response after an alarm dispatch request.
An alarm dispatch request for a law enforcement agency response
when the responding law enforcement officer finds no evidence of a
criminal offense or attempted criminal offense after having completed
a timely investigation of the alarm site or the activation of an alarm
system through mechanical failure, malfunction, improper installation
or negligence of the owner or lessee of an alarm system or of his
employees or agents. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a false alarm
shall not include an alarm which can reasonably be determined to have
been caused or activated by unusually violent conditions of nature,
nor does it include other extraordinary circumstances not reasonably
subject to control by the alarm user.
A silent alarm signal generated by the manual activation
of a device intended to signal a robbery in progress.
Any alarm system, which is not monitored, that annunciates
an alarm only at the alarm site and is not monitored by a remote monitoring
facility, whether installed by an alarm installation company or alarm
user.
The process by which a monitoring company receives signals
from an alarm system and relays an alarm dispatch request to the municipality
for the purpose of summoning law enforcement personnel to the alarm
site.
A person in the business of providing monitoring services.
An audible alarm signal generated by the manual activation
of a device intended to signal a life-threatening or emergency situation
requiring law enforcement response.
An individual, corporation, partnership, association, organization
or similar entity.
A registration year means the period beginning July 1 and
ending June 30 of the following year. Registrations will initially
be valid beginning on the day and month on which an alarm registration
is issued, continuing through the subsequent June 30.
An individual capable of reaching the alarm site within 20
minutes and having access to the alarm site, the code to the alarm
system and the authority to approve repairs to the alarm system.
A security alarm system that produces repeated alarm signals
that do not appear to be caused by separate human action.
The American National Standard Institute (ANSI) approved
Security Industry Association (SIA) CP-01 Control Panel Standard,
as may be updated from time to time, that details recommended design
features for security system control panels and their associated arming
and disarming devices to reduce the incidents of false alarms. Control
panels built and tested to this standard by Underwriters Laboratory
(UL), or other nationally recognized testing organizations, will be
marked to state: "Design evaluated in accordance with SIA CP-01 Control
Panel Standard Features for False Alarm Reduction."
Law enforcement will not respond to an alarm dispatch request
from the monitoring company or local alarm system activation except
if a responder or key holder arrives and finds evidence of a forced
entry.
The transaction or process by which an alarm user takes over
control of an existing alarm system which was previously controlled
by another alarm user.
An attempt by the monitoring company, or its representative,
to contact the alarm site and/or alarm user by telephone and/or other
electronic means, whether or not actual contact with a person is made,
to determine whether an alarm signal is valid before requesting law
enforcement dispatch, in an attempt to avoid an unnecessary alarm
dispatch request. For the purpose of this chapter, telephone verification
shall require, as a minimum, that a second call be made to a different
number if the first attempt fails to reach an alarm user who can properly
identify himself or herself to determine whether an alarm signal is
valid before requesting dispatch.
A division of devices into which an alarm system is divided
to indicate the general location from which an alarm signal is transmitted.
A.
No alarm user shall operate, or cause to be operated, an alarm system
at its alarm site without a valid alarm registration. If an alarm
user has one of more alarm systems protecting two or more separate
structures having different addresses and/or tenants, a separate registration
shall be required for each structure and/or tenant. Effective immediately
upon the enactment of this chapter, as amended, every alarm user shall
apply for registration in accordance with this chapter, even if the
alarm user has previously obtained alarm registration.
B.
The alarm registration shall be requested on an application form
provided by the Town of Newtown. An alarm user has the duty to obtain
and complete an application available from the Police Department in
person or on the Police Department website and submit to the alarm
administrator with the requested information on or before the application/renewal
deadline.
C.
Fee for alarm registration.
(1)
The fee for an alarm registration is set forth below and shall be
paid by the alarm user. No refund of an alarm registration or registration
renewal fee will be made. The initial alarm registration fee must
be submitted to the alarm administrator within five days after the
alarm system installation or alarm system takeover. Fees for alarm
registration in a given year shall be set forth below (the "Alarm
Registration Schedule"). The Alarm Registration Schedule is subject
to change upon resolution by the Legislative Council, which may base
such changes on recommendations to the Legislative Council from the
office of the First Selectman. The current Alarm Registration Schedule
shall be made available to the public at the Police Department or
on the Police Department website.
D.
Upon receipt of a completed alarm registration application form and
the alarm registration fee, the alarm administrator shall issue the
alarm registration to the applicant unless the applicant has:
E.
Each alarm registration application will provide the necessary information
required to track dispatch requests and the results thereof as determined
by the alarm administrator.
F.
Any false statement of a material fact made by an applicant for the
purpose of obtaining an alarm registration shall be sufficient cause
for refusal to issue an alarm registration or to revoke an alarm registration.
G.
Transfer and updates of an alarm registration.
(1)
An alarm registration cannot be transferred to another person or
alarm site.
(2)
When the possession of the premises at which an alarm system is maintained
is transferred, the person obtaining possession of the premises shall
file an application for an alarm registration within 30 days of obtaining
possession of the premises.
(3)
Should information provided on the alarm registration application
change, the alarm user shall provide correct information to the alarm
administrator within 30 days of the change.
(4)
Each year after the issuance of the alarm registration, alarm registration
holders will receive from the Town of Newtown a form requesting updated
information. The alarm registration holder shall complete and return
this form to the Town of Newtown whether or not any of the requested
information has changed.
H.
All fines and fees owed by an applicant must be paid before an alarm
registration may be issued or renewed.
Alarm registrations must be renewed annually. After the first
year, and each year thereafter, the alarm administrator will issue
notice of alarm registration renewal, which must be completed and
returned within 30 days.
A.
An alarm user shall:
(1)
Maintain the alarm site and the alarm system in a manner that will
minimize or eliminate false alarms.
(3)
Not activate an alarm system for any reason other than an occurrence
of an event that the alarm system was intended to report.
(4)
Adjust the mechanism of the alarm system or cause the mechanism of
the alarm system to be adjusted so that an alarm signal audible on
the exterior of an alarm site will sound for no longer than 15 minutes
after being activated.
(5)
Not use automatic voice dialers.
(6)
Agree with its alarm installation company and/or monitoring company
to go through an acclimation period for the first seven days after
installation of an alarm system, during which time the alarm installation
company and/or monitoring company will have no obligation to and will
not respond to any alarm signal from the alarm site and will not make
an alarm dispatch request to law enforcement, even if the alarm signal
is the result of an actual alarm event, excluding panic, duress and
holdup alarm signals. The alarm administrator may grant an alarm user's
request for an exemption from this acclimation period based upon a
determination that special circumstances substantiate the need for
the exemption.
(7)
Be responsible for ensuring that the alarm site is properly marked
with the street name and street number or unit number where applicable
at the roadside entrance and/or on the building itself. Markings shall
consist of a minimum of three-inch lettering in contrasting color
to the background and be clearly visible from the roadway.
(8)
Be responsible for ensuring safe access to and within the alarm site,
including but not limited to ensuring that access to the alarm system
is free and clear of debris, snow, water, locked gates or fences and
animals on the property are secured.
(9)
Understand and accept that law enforcement or fire department response
may be influenced by factors including, but not limited to, the availability
of units, priority of calls, weather conditions, traffic conditions,
emergency conditions, and staffing levels.
(10)
If the alarm user is a business or commercial entity, the alarm
user shall ensure that its employees are trained to operate the alarm
system.
(11)
On new installations after July 1, 2016, use only alarm control
panels which meet the ANSI/SIA Control Panel Standard CP-01.
A.
The alarm administrator shall establish a procedure to record such
information on alarm dispatch requests necessary to permit the alarm
administrator to maintain records, including, but not limited to,
the following information:
(1)
Identification of the alarm site.
(2)
Date and time the alarm dispatch request was received, including
the name of the monitoring company and the monitoring operator's
name or number.
(3)
Date and time of law enforcement officer arrival at the alarm site.
(4)
Weather conditions if applicable to the expected response.
(5)
Name of alarm user's representative at alarm site, if any.
(6)
Cause of alarm signal, if known.
B.
The alarm administrator shall establish and implement a procedure
for the notification to the alarm user of a false alarm. The notice
shall include the following information:
(1)
The date and time of law enforcement response to the false alarm;
(2)
The identification number of the responding law enforcement officer;
and
(3)
A statement urging the alarm user to ensure that the alarm system
is properly operated, inspected, and serviced in order to avoid false
alarms and resulting fines.
C.
The alarm administrator may require a conference with an alarm user
and/or the alarm installation company and/or monitoring company responsible
for the installation, repair or monitoring of the alarm system to
review the circumstances of each false alarm.
D.
The alarm administrator may require an alarm user to remove or modify
a holdup alarm that is a single-action, nonrecessed button, if a false
holdup alarm has occurred.
E.
If the alarm administrator or his/her designee determines that an
alarm dispatch request results from a runaway alarm, the alarm administrator
or his/her designee may temporarily suspend response to the affected
alarm system.
A.
An alarm user shall be subject to fines, depending on the number
of false alarms within a registration year. Any and all fines not
paid in full within 30 days of billing could result in placement of
the alarm site on a suspension-of-response status. If any alarm site
of an alarm user is placed on suspension-of-response status as a result
of failure to pay fines, once an account is paid in full, the alarm
site will be removed from suspension-of-response status. Enforcement
of this chapter may be by civil action to the fullest extent allowed
by applicable law. The following shall be the penalties and fines
assessed pursuant to this chapter:
(1)
Fines for false alarms in a given registration year shall be set
forth in the table below (the False Alarm Fine Schedule). The False
Alarm Fine Schedule is effective immediately, and any false alarms
that have occurred during the registration year in which this chapter,
as amended, is enacted shall be included for purposes of determining
the applicable fines for any false alarms occurring after the date
of the enactment of this chapter, as amended. The False Alarm Fine
Schedule is subject to change upon resolution by the Legislative Council,
which may base such changes on recommendations to the Legislative
Council from the office of the First Selectman. The current False
Alarm Fine Schedule shall be made available to the public at the Police
Department.
|
False Alarm Fine Schedule
| ||
|---|---|---|
|
False Alarm In a Registration Year
|
Fine
| |
|
1
|
$0
| |
|
2
|
$25
| |
|
3
|
$50
| |
|
4
|
$50
| |
|
5
|
$100
| |
|
6
|
$100
| |
|
7
|
$100
| |
|
8
|
$200
| |
|
9
|
$200
| |
|
10
|
$250
| |
|
11
|
$250
| |
|
12 and beyond
|
$250
| |
B.
Any person operating an unregistered alarm system will be subject
to a fine for $99. The alarm administrator shall waive this additional
fine for an unregistered system if the alarm user submits an application
for alarm registration within 10 days after notification of such violation.
C.
If cancellation occurs prior to law enforcement arriving at the scene,
this is not a false alarm for the purpose of fines, and no fines will
be assessed.
D.
The responding officer has the discretion to determine if the alarm
was caused by circumstances outside the alarm user's control
and to report a no-fault alarm to the alarm administrator, in which
case no fines will be assessed.
E.
No fees, fines or penalties, including for false alarms, shall be
charged for alarm systems installed in buildings occupied by the Town
of Newtown, including the Board of Education, the State of Connecticut
or the United States of America. Municipal volunteer organizations,
which provide emergency services to the Town of Newtown, shall also
be exempt from fines, fees and penalties.
F.
All Town of Newtown departments and agencies, including the Board
of Education, shall be responsible for adhering to the registration
requirements of this chapter. In addition, all Town of Newtown departments
and agencies, including the Board of Education, shall be responsible
for taking corrective action on false alarms and shall work in cooperation
with the alarm administrator in reducing unnecessary false alarms
to Town of Newtown-owned buildings or buildings occupied by Town of
Newtown agencies and departments.
G.
If the alarm user is a business or commercial entity, a failure of
the alarm user to ensure that its employees are trained to operate
the alarm system shall result in a fine of $99.
A.
The alarm administrator shall notify the alarm user in writing after
each false alarm. The notification shall include the date and time
of the response and the amount of the fine for the false alarm, if
applicable.
B.
The alarm administrator will notify the alarm user in writing after
an alarm site has been placed on suspension-of-response status, the
exception being responses to duress, holdup and panic alarms. This
notice of suspension-of-response status will also include the amount
of the fine(s) for each false alarm and a description of the appeals
procedure available to the alarm user.
A.
The alarm administrator may suspend law enforcement response to an
alarm site by revoking the alarm registration if it is determined
that:
C.
Before any suspension-of-response status is imposed by the alarm
administrator, a hearing will be held before the Police Commission.
The alarm administrator shall send written notice of the intended
action to place an alarm site on suspension-of-response status and
the date for the hearing to either the affected applicant or alarm
user. The appropriate party will be provided at least 20 days'
notice of the hearing date. A decision will be made by the Police
Commission no later than 30 days following the hearing. If the Police
Commission approves suspension of response, it will go into effect
upon written notification of this decision by registered mail or certified
mail to the affected applicant and/or alarm user. Suspension of response
will end when the alarm administrator informs the Police Commission
that the party in question has taken action to conform to the requirements
of this chapter.
D.
If it is found at the hearing that suspension-of-response status
is warranted, until the party in question has taken action to conform
to the requirements of this chapter, the following actions may take
place:
(1)
Unless there is separate indication that there is a crime in progress,
the Chief of Police or his or her designee will refuse law enforcement
response to an alarm dispatch request at an alarm site for which the
alarm registration is suspended.
(2)
In addition to the sanctions outlined in Subsection A, a shift supervisor may temporarily suspend the response of law enforcement personnel to an alarm dispatch request if, in the opinion of the Police Chief or his or her designee, the frequency and timing of alarm dispatch requests to the same alarm site indicates that the alarm dispatch request is another false alarm.
E.
If the alarm registration is reinstated pursuant to § 104-10, the Chief of Police and/or the alarm administrator may again suspend law enforcement response to the alarm site by again revoking the alarm registration, if it is determined that two false alarms have occurred within 30 days after the reinstatement date. Before suspension of response can take place, the procedure for a hearing detailed in Subsection C shall be followed.
A person whose alarm registration has been revoked may have
the alarm registration reinstated by the alarm administrator if the
person meets the alarm administrator's requirements for reinstatement
which may include:
A.
Submission of a new application and payment of a reinstatement fee;
B.
Payment or otherwise a resolution of all outstanding citations and
fines;
C.
Submission of a certification from an alarm installation company
stating that the alarm system has been inspected and repaired, if
necessary, by the alarm installation company;
D.
Proof that an employee of the alarm installation company or monitoring
company caused the false alarm;
E.
Upgrade of the alarm control panel to meet AISC/SIA Control Panel
Standard CP-01; and/or
F.
A written statement from an independent inspector approved by the
alarm administrator that the alarm system has been inspected and is
in good working order.
In the interest of public safety, all information contained
in and gathered through the alarm registration applications and applications
for appeals shall be held in confidence by all employees or representatives
of the municipality and by any third-party administrator or employees
of a third-party administrator with access to such information.
An alarm registration is not intended to nor will it create
a contract, duty or obligation, either expressed or implied, of a
response. Any and all liability and consequential damage resulting
from the failure to respond to a notification is hereby disclaimed,
and governmental immunity as provided by law is retained. By applying
for an alarm registration, the alarm user acknowledges that law enforcement
response may be influenced by factors such as the availability of
units, priority of calls, weather conditions, traffic conditions,
emergency conditions, staffing levels and prior response history.
The First Selectman, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, shall appoint one Citation Hearing Officer, other than the alarm administrator, police officers or employees of the Town of Newtown or persons who issue citations, to conduct the hearing authorized by § 104-14.
A.
Each violation of this chapter for which fines are set forth above
shall be enforceable by citation and paid within 14 days to the Town
of Newtown. In addition to the fines set forth above, each violation
of this chapter may be enforceable by citation at the discretion of
the alarm administrator or any police officer in the maximum amount
of $99, which citation shall be paid within 14 days to the Town of
Newtown.
B.
If a person who is issued a citation does not make an uncontested payment of the fine(s), penalties, costs, or fees due for noncompliance, as specified by the citation, to the Town of Newtown, the procedures set forth in the Code of the Town of Newtown § 132-10, Appeals procedure, Subsections A through E, shall apply.
