[R.O. 1998 § 205.010; CC 1988 §13-100; Ord. No. 1830 §1, 8-7-1995]
For the purposes of this Chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them:
ALARM AGENT
Any person employed by an alarm business whose duties include altering, installing, maintaining, moving, repairing, replacing, selling, servicing, responding to, or causing others to respond to an alarm device.
ALARM BUSINESS
Any business operated by a person or entity who engages in the activity of altering, installing, leasing, maintaining, moving, repairing, replacing, selling, servicing, or responding to an emergency alarm system, or which causes any of these activities to take place.
ALARM SYSTEM
Any mechanical or electrical device which is designed to be activated manually or automatically upon the detection of an unauthorized entry, intrusion, or other emergency in or on any building, structure, facility, or premises through the emission of a sound or transmission of a signal or message.
ALARM USER
Any person who uses an alarm system to protect any building, structure, facility, or premises.
AUDIBLE ALARM
A local alarm located on the building, structure, facility or premises protected and equipped with an exterior sound-producing device, such as a gong, buzzer, siren, bell or horn.
AUTOMATIC DIALING DEVICE
That part of an alarm system which automatically dials a specific telephone number and transmits a prerecorded emergency message.
DIRECT-CONNECT ALARM SYSTEM
An alarm system which provides for special telephone or cable lines that are directly connected to the Police Department and has an outlet at the Police Department which emits a sound or transmits a signal or message when activated.
FALSE ALARM
Any activation of an alarm system intentionally, by inadvertence, negligence, unintentional act or malfunction of the alarm system to which the St. Ann Police Department is asked to respond when there is no unauthorized entry, intrusion or emergency, provided that the following shall not be considered false alarms:
1. 
Alarms intentionally caused by a person acting under a reasonable belief that a need exists to summon Police assistance.
2. 
Alarms occurring on a repeated basis without apparent cause but where reasonable effort in the judgment of the Police Chief or his/her designated representative is being made by the alarm user, alarm business, alarm agent, or other concerned person to correct the malfunction expeditiously.
3. 
Alarms followed by an immediate call to the Police Department canceling same by giving the proper code number prior to arrival of a Police Officer.
4. 
Alarms caused by weather conditions, such as windstorms, thunder, lightning or other similar phenomena.
5. 
Alarms caused by damage, testing or repair of the means of transmission, provided that such incidents are promptly reported to the company providing said means of transmission.
6. 
Alarms caused by the malfunction of equipment located in the St. Ann Police Department.
7. 
Alarms caused by an attempted illegal or unauthorized entry of which there is visible or demonstrated evidence.
MEDICAL ALERT
That part of any alarm system which transmits manually or automatically a medical alert signal.
[R.O. 1998 § 205.020; CC 1988 §13-101; Ord. No. 1830 §1, 8-7-1995]
A. 
Licensing. Any alarm business operating in the City of St. Ann shall be licensed under the provisions of Chapter 720 of the St. Louis County Revised Code, as amended from time to time, and shall file a copy of such current license or renewal license with the office of the St. Ann City Clerk.
B. 
Operational Instruction. Any alarm business or alarm agent operating in the City of St. Ann shall furnish the alarm user with written instructions for the operation of the system and shall provide the alarm user with training in the operation of the system and, upon request from the alarm user, refresher training.
C. 
Repair Service. Any alarm business or alarm agent operating in the City of St. Ann shall offer either directly, or through an agency, repair service for its alarm systems to maintain same in proper working order and shall provide its alarm user of the correct telephone numbers to call for regular and emergency service.
D. 
Verification Of False Alarms. Any alarm business or alarm agent shall be responsible for informing the alarm user, before attaching a medical alert device to an alarm system, that if the responding authority is not able to verify false alarms, the alarm will be treated as an actual emergency.
[R.O. 1998 § 205.030; CC 1988 §13-102; Ord. No. 1830 §1, 8-7-1995]
A. 
Alarm systems shall meet or exceed the standards set by American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and/or Underwriter Laboratories (UL) for the application alarm system.
B. 
All alarm systems in residentially used premises shall be equipped with a cutoff timer of not more than five (5) minutes in a twelve-hour period.
C. 
There shall be no audible alarms in commercially or industrially used premises.
D. 
Automatic dialing devices shall only be programmed to dial a telephone number at the Police Department which is authorized by the Chief of Police and shall not be programmed to dial the Police Department emergency number.
E. 
Any direct connect alarm system shall be connected to approved monitoring equipment at the St. Ann Police Department.
[R.O. 1998 § 205.040; CC 1988 §13-103; Ord. No. 1830 §1, 8-7-1995]
A. 
Registration. All alarm systems alarm users shall provide to the Police Department registration information, as follows:
1. 
The name, address and telephone number of the alarm user;
2. 
The name, address and telephone number of the alarm business or alarm agent;
3. 
The name, address and telephone number of the alarm business or alarm agent which the alarm user will contact for repair service, including regular and emergency service;
4. 
The name, address and telephone number of at least one (1) other person with access to the building, structure, facility or premises protected by the system.
B. 
Maintenance. The alarm user shall be responsible for maintaining the alarm system in good repair to assure reliability of operation.
C. 
Misuse. The alarm user shall be responsible for seeing that the system is not misused.
[R.O. 1998 § 205.060; CC 1988 §13-105; Ord. No. 1830 §1, 8-7-1995]
The City of St. Ann shall not be liable for any defects in the operation of automatic dialing devices or signal line systems, for any failure to respond upon receipt of an alarm from any such source, nor for the failure or neglect of any alarm business or alarm agent. The City shall have no liability resulting from any damage to any part of a building, structure, facility or premises which might be forced or damaged to verify an emergency situation. In the event that the City deems it appropriate to disconnect an alarm system, it shall incur no liability from such action.