The purpose of this chapter is to provide uniform minimum standards
and regulations applicable to the users of an alarm or emergency signaling
device within the City of Meriden which results in the dispatch and/or
response of municipal emergency vehicles, including police and/or
personnel and to promote the responsible use of alarm systems in the
City of Meriden.
The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this chapter,
shall have the meanings ascribed to them, except where the context
clearly indicates a different meaning:
ALARM COMPANY
A person or a company engaged in the selling, leasing, installing,
servicing or monitoring alarm systems. The alarm company shall be
licensed in compliance with Connecticut law.
ALARM PERMIT
A permit issued by the City allowing the operation of an
alarm system within the City at commercial and residential properties.
ALARM SIGNAL
An audible or visual signal generated by an alarm system
to which law enforcement is requested to respond.
ALARM SYSTEM
Any single device or assembly of equipment designed to signal
the occurrence of an illegal or unauthorized entry or other activity
requiring law enforcement response. For purposes of this chapter,
an alarm system does not include motor vehicle or boat alarms, fire
alarms, domestic violence alarms, or alarms solely requesting a medical
response.
ALARM USER
Any person, corporation, partnership, proprietorship, governmental
or educational entity or any other entity owning, leasing or operating
an alarm system, or on whose premises an alarm system is maintained
for the protection of such premises.
ALARM USER AWARENESS CLASS
A class conducted for the purpose of educating alarm users
about the responsible use, operation, and maintenance of alarm systems
and the problems created by false alarms.
CANCELLATION
The process whereby the alarm company notifies the City that
there is no need for a police response after an alarm signal is activated.
If a cancellation occurs prior to police arriving at the scene of
the alarm signal, it is not considered a false alarm.
CITY
The City of Meriden, the City of Meriden Police Department
or its authorized agent.
FALSE ALARM
The activation of an alarm system through mechanical or electronic
failure, malfunction, improper installation, or the negligence of
the alarm user, its employees or agents, as well as alarm signals
activated to summon law enforcement personnel, unless law enforcement
response was cancelled by the alarm user before law enforcement personnel
arrive at the alarm location. An alarm is a false alarm when, upon
inspection by the Meriden Police Department, evidence indicates that
no unauthorized entry, robbery, or other such crime was committed
or attempted in or on the premises which would have activated a properly
functioning alarm system.
LOCAL ALARM
An alarm system that emits a signal at an alarm site that
is audible or visible from the exterior of a structure and is not
monitored by a remote monitoring facility, whether installed by an
alarm company or an alarm user.
PERMIT YEAR
A twelve-month period beginning on the day and month on which
an alarm permit is issued.
RUNAWAY ALARM
An alarm system that produces repeated alarm signals that
do not appear to be caused by separate human action. The Meriden Police
Department may, in its sole discretion, discontinue police responses
to alarm signals from what appears to be a runaway alarm.
SIA CONTROL PANEL STANDARD CP-01
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 false alarms. Control panels built
and tested to this standard by a nationally recognized testing organization,
will be marked to state: "Design evaluated in accordance with SIA
CP-01 Control Panel Standard features for false alarm reduction."
VERIFY
An attempt by the monitoring company or its representative
to contact the alarm site and/or alarm user, whether or not actual
contact is made, to determine whether an alarm signal is valid before
requesting police response to the alarm signal. For the purpose of
this chapter, telephone verification shall require, at a minimum,
that a second call be made to a different number if the first call
fails to reach an alarm user who can properly identify themselves
to determine whether an alarm signal is valid before requesting law
enforcement dispatch.
The alarm user shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
A. Maintain the premises and the alarm system to reduce or eliminate
false alarms.
B. Ensure the alarm system has an auxiliary power supply with a minimum
of a four hour power reserve.
C. Provide the alarm company with the permit number of the alarm.
D. Respond or cause a representative to respond to the alarm system's
location and/or to deactivate a malfunctioning alarm within 30 minutes
after notification by the Police Department of a malfunctioning alarm.
E. Not manually activate an alarm for any reason other than an occurrence
of an event that the alarm system was intended to report or to perform
routine maintenance as prescribed by the alarm system provider.
The City may create and implement an alarm user awareness class
and may request the assistance of the alarm companies to assist in
developing and implementing the class. The class shall inform alarm
users of the problems created by false alarms and instruct alarm users
how to help reduce false alarms. The City, at its discretion, may
allow the option of attending an alarm user awareness class in lieu
of paying one penalty.
Assessments of a penalty or penalties and other enforcement
decisions made under this chapter may be appealed by filing a written
notice of appeal with the Meriden Police Department within 10 days
after the date of notification of the assessment of civil fees or
other enforcement decision. The failure to give notice of appeal within
this time period shall constitute a waiver of the right to contest
the assessment of penalty or other enforcement decision. Appeals shall
be heard through the citation hearing process established by the City
under the authority of Section 7-152c of the Connecticut General Statutes.
By applying for an alarm permit, the alarm user acknowledges
that the Meriden Police Department response may be influenced by factors
such as the availability of police units, priority of calls, weather
conditions, traffic conditions, emergency conditions, staffing levels,
prior response history and other factors at the sole discretion of
the Meriden Police Department.
The provisions of this chapter are severable. If a court of
competent jurisdiction determines that a word, phrase, clause, sentence,
paragraph, subsection, section, or other provision is invalid or that
the application of any part of the chapter is invalid, the remaining
provisions of this chapter and the application of those provisions
of this chapter are not affected by that decision.