[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Common Council of the City of Reedsburg 2-12-2007 (Sec. 1.17 of the former Municipal Codebook). Amendments noted where applicable.]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ALARM BUSINESS
Any business in which the owners or employees engage in the activity of altering, installing, leasing, maintaining, repairing, replacing, selling, or servicing alarm systems.
ALARM SYSTEM
An assembly of equipment and devices or single device such as a solid state unit which plugs directly into 110-volt AC line or otherwise receives electrical energy arranged to signal the presence of a hazard requiring urgent attention and to which the Police and Fire Departments are expected to respond. In this section, the term "alarm system" shall include the terms "automatic holdup alarm systems," "burglar alarm systems" and "manual holdup alarm systems," 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 section 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 at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
ANNUNCIATOR
The instrumentation of an alarm console at the receiving terminal of a signal line through which both visual and audible 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 and 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 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 and Fire Department.
FALSE ALARMS
The activation of an alarm system through mechanical failure, malfunction, improper installation or the negligence of owner or lessee of an alarm system or his 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 and 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 business to monitor and/or service the alarm system.
The Chief of Police may promulgate such rules as may be necessary for the implementation of this chapter. Any such rules shall require the approval of the Common Council.
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 by the Police or Fire Department shall only be done person-to-person on the telephone line.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
Direct connections to the Police or Fire Department are prohibited, but may be authorized pursuant to the direct connection policies of each department. If a direct connection is permitted, an annual connection charge as set from time to time by the Common Council shall be imposed.
A. 
No alarm business 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 dispatcher. Alarm businesses or alarm system owners or lessors will be advised on proper test procedure.
B. 
No alarm system relayed through intermediate services to the Police Department may be tested to determine the Police Department's response without first notifying the appropriate authority. However, the Police Department may inspect or test on-site alarm systems authorized under this chapter.
C. 
Alarm systems shall be in compliance with all pertinent response policies of the Police Department.
When the service provided by an alarm business to its subscribers is disrupted for any reason by the alarm business or the alarm business becomes aware of such disruption, it shall promptly notify its subscribers by telephone that protection is no longer being provided. If, however, the alarm business has written instructions from its subscriber not to make such notification by telephone during certain hours, the alarm business may comply with such instructions.
A. 
Generally. Each false alarm requires response of public safety personnel, involves unnecessary expense to the City, increases the risk of injury to persons or damage to property and dilutes the overall public safety protection to the City. Such false alarms constitute a public nuisance and must be abated.
B. 
Intentional. No person shall intentionally cause the activation of a burglar/fire alarm device knowing that no criminal activity, fire or other emergency exists.
C. 
False alarms; administrative charges.
(1) 
Any person, business, corporation or other entity having a permissible alarm system with alarm devices at one or more locations in accordance with the Chapter shall pay to the City a charge for false alarms responded to by the Police or Fire Department in a calendar year, as set from time to time by the Common Council.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
(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 to the alarm receiving firm to which the Police and Fire Department have responded and shall be applied regardless to the cause of the false alarm, excepting those alarms excluded from the definition of "false alarm." Failure to pay such administrative charges shall be collectible as a forfeiture upon prosecution and conviction thereof, together with an additional forfeitures which may be imposed under Subsection E hereof for violation of this section for allowing or maintaining conditions or acts violative to the intent of this section of eliminating and minimizing the occurrence of false alarms, together with costs of prosecution.
D. 
Waiver of fee. If a possessor of the alarm shows to the satisfaction of the Chief of Police or the Fire Chief, as applicable, that such false alarm was not the result of negligence or improper maintenance, or other good and sufficient cause beyond the reasonable control of the possessor of the alarm, such fee may be waived and the response shall not count as a false alarm in computing the fee established under Subsection C.
E. 
Other violations. Any person, corporation or other entity violating this section in any manner, other than for collection of unpaid administrative charges treated in the preceding Subsection C of this section, shall be fined not less than $50 and not more than $500 for each separate violation. Every day a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation. When any premises located in the City 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.
F. 
Default of payment for forfeiture and/or costs. On default of payment of forfeiture and/or costs under the immediately preceding Subsection C and/or E, such person or responsible officer of the violating corporation or other entity shall be confined in the County Jail until the same be paid but not to exceed a length of time specified by the court which length of time shall not exceed six months. Upon nonpayment of fee, the amount due may be placed on the tax roll as a special charge pursuant to § 66.0703, Wis. Stats.
The City of Reedsburg 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 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.