[G.O. No. 1315, § 1]
No person shall install, maintain, use, or cause or permit to be used any private alarm system within the Town unless a permit therefore has been issued by the Chief of Police or Fire Chief of the Town in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. No person shall use a private alarm system during any period when the permit therefor has expired or is suspended. The permit for a private alarm system which is designed primarily to detect fire or smoke shall be obtained from the Fire Chief or his representative. Permits for all other systems shall be obtained from the police chief or his representative.
[G.O. No. 1315, § 1]
Any person desiring to use a private alarm system upon improved property owned or occupied by such person shall submit a written application to the Chief of Police or Fire Chief for a permit. Such application shall be maintained on a confidential basis and shall not be available for public inspection. The application shall be on forms to be furnished by the Chief of Police and Fire Chief which shall require the following information over the signature of the applicant:
(a) 
The name, address, and telephone number of the applicant;
(b) 
The name, address, and telephone number of the owner and occupant of the property serviced by the warning device if not the same as the applicant;
(c) 
The location of the property to be served;
(d) 
Whether the system is to be connected to the alarm panel, to a tape dialer system or to a central office or is a local alarm;
(e) 
The name, address and telephone number of the company which will furnish and maintain the private alarm system, and if applicable, to which it will be connected;
(f) 
The name, address and telephone number of a person who must be a resident of Westfield or a contiguous municipality to be notified of a faulty private alarm system at any time when no one is present on the property served by the system. Such person much have a key to the premises on which the alarm is located.
(g) 
The name, address and telephone number of a person who must be a resident of Westfield or a contiguous municipality to be notified of an emergency occurring on the property served by the system when no one is present on the property served by this system. Such person must have a key to the premises on which the alarm is located.
(h) 
The particular type of private alarm system as defined in Section 15-4 for which the permit is sought.
(i) 
A release of the Town, its officers, agents and employees, from any and all liability or damages which may flow or result from any and all actions or inactions of the Town, its agents, servants or employees, as a result of responding or not responding to an actual emergency or false alarm, and, further an indemnification and save harmless of the Town of Westfield, its officers, agents and employees, for or on account of any acts or omissions directly or indirectly related to the installation, operation or maintenance of the alarm panel and the connection of the applicant's private alarm system thereto.
(j) 
Consent to inspection of the premises on which the private alarm system is installed at reasonable hours by the police chief and/or Fire Chief, or their designated representatives.
(k) 
Consent for the Police Department or Fire Department to enter the premises if forced entry is not required or to obtain the key to the premises from the persons designated in subparagraphs (f) and (g) above to enter the premises to investigate for an emergency or unlawful entry or to deactivate any system which sounds an alarm and continues to sound such alarm, audible or otherwise, for more than 15 minutes.
[G.O. No. 1315, § 1; G.O. No. 1320, § II; G.O. No. 1616, § I]
(a) 
To the Town. At the time an application is submitted, the permittee shall pay to the Town of Westfield an initial registration fee of $50. Thereafter, an annual renewal fee of $25 will be due by January 15 of each year as long as the permit is in force. In the event the owner or occupant of the premises changes, and the new owner or occupant seeks a permit for an alarm, a new application shall be submitted, and the appropriate fees shall be charged in accordance with this section.
[Amended 3-24-2015 by G.O. No. 2039]
(b) 
To the licensee. If applicable, the permittee shall pay to the licensee a connection fee and a monthly service charge not in excess of the amounts stated in the licensee's bid.
(c) 
No proration delinquent fees. Any permits issued between January 1st and October 15th shall require the same fees, no portion of which shall be prorated, but said fees shall be refunded to the applicant in the event a permit is not issued. Any permit issued between October 15th and December 31st shall be valid until December 31st of the following year. If the permittee shall fail, neglect or refuse to comply with the permittee's obligation to pay the annual fee, connection fee or monthly charge to the Town and/or licensee, and shall remain in such default for 30 days, the police chief and/or Fire Chief or their designated representatives are authorized, on 10 days' written notice to such permittee to disconnect the permittee's alarm system from the panel. In such event, the alarm system shall not be reconnected except upon payment of all arrearages as well as the renewal fees, which shall be the same as the initial fees.
[G.O. No. 1315, § 1]
The Chief of Police or Fire Chief shall not issue a permit for a private alarm system unless they find that the system covered by the application meets applicable standards as set forth in regulations promulgated in writing by the police chief and Fire Chief. Whenever the Chief of Police or Fire Chief shall refuse to issue a permit, they shall advise the applicant in writing of the reason or reasons for refusal. They shall refuse to issue a permit for any private alarm system which:
(a) 
Does not have a method of shutting off the aforesaid alarm at the property on which it is located.
(b) 
Does not have a device or method for limiting the sounding of any audible alarm to 15 minutes.
(c) 
Can be activated by changes in atmospheric conditions of heat or cold or by wind.
(d) 
Does not have a set of written instructions concerning the proper operation and maintenance of the alarm system and its component parts prepared by the alarm business or its component suppliers which has been given to the permittee.
[G.O. No. 1315, § 1]
Every permit issued for a private alarm system shall expire on December 31 of the year in which it was issued, with the exception of those issued between October 15th and December 31st which shall be valid until December 31st of the following year.
[G.O. No. 1315, § 1]
All permits for private alarm systems shall be issued upon the following terms and conditions:
(a) 
A permit shall be issued for each separate improved property, except on properties which contain a building or buildings which contain space occupied by different persons. In such event the permit shall be issued for the space occupied by the applicant, and no permit shall be transferred or assigned in any manner except to new persons occupying the same space.
(b) 
If required, an applicant shall furnish complete information and specifications for the system. Such information shall include specific data relating to testing procedures and the prevention of false alarms, and how to disconnect or deactivate same.
(c) 
Any private alarm system connected directly to the alarm panel shall have a voltage compatible therewith.
(d) 
If the alarm covers an area of more than 5,000 square feet unless waived by the Chief of Police or Fire Chief, the applicant shall provide an annunciator mechanism at a place or places approved by the Chief of Police or Fire Chief indicating the location of the emergency.
(e) 
Every permit shall be subject to rules and standards which may be promulgated by the Chief of Police or Fire Chief with respect to private alarm systems. Such rules shall be in writing and shall be given to each permittee at the time of issuance or renewal of any permit or at the time of promulgation or amendment.
[G.O. No. 1315, § 1]
Any permit issued for a private alarm system may be suspended by the Chief of Police or Fire Chief if it shall appear that:
(a) 
The permittee has failed to comply with the terms and conditions of the permit or has failed to comply with rules and standards promulgated by the Chief of Police or Fire Chief with respect to private alarm systems:
(b) 
The permittee or his agents knowingly installed or maintained a faulty private alarm system; or
(c) 
The permittee or his agents failed to comply with a request by the Chief of Police or Fire Chief to render necessary services to a faulty private alarm system within 24 hours after such request is made or failed to disconnect such system within such period and until such system has been repaired.
Four false alarms within any calendar year shall constitute prima facie evidence that a private alarm system is faulty and is in violation of this chapter. In the case of false alarms, any person having knowledge thereof shall immediately notify the police or Fire Department. In addition, in the case of false alarms the police chief and/or Fire Chief shall cause an investigation to be made and keep a record of said alarms on file. If in the event of a false alarm, the Police Department or Fire Department are advised of the name, address, preassigned code number, and that the alarm is false before police or fire vehicles or personnel arrive at the scene, the false alarm may not, in the discretion of the police or Fire Chief or their designee, be deemed to be a false alarm. If in the event of the testing of a private alarm system the police or Fire Department receive prior notice of at least five minutes before each test, the alarm will not be deemed a false alarm. Where the investigation of the police and/or Fire Department discloses continued abuse of the privilege of connection to the alarm panel and a disregard by the permittee to take remedial steps to avoid false alarms, the Chief of Police or the Fire Chief may suspend the permit for a limited or permanent time provided that no such permit shall be revoked or suspended without giving the permittee an opportunity to show cause before the police or Fire Chief why such action should not be taken. A suspension shall be terminated by the chief or police or Fire Chief when he is satisfied that the conditions stated in the notice of suspension have been corrected.
Subsequent to the adoption of this chapter each alarm system when initially installed shall be operated for a period of one week without any audible annunciation or transmittal of an alarm signal to the police or Fire Departments to allow for a break-in and trial period.
It shall be a violation of this chapter for any person to intentionally activate an alarm:
(1) 
For the purpose of testing the system without prior notice to the Police Department;
(2) 
For the purpose of measuring or testing police or fire response; or
(3) 
For any other purpose other than the existence of an emergency for which the alarm system or warning device was intended to respond.
In addition, the occurrence of four or more false alarms in any one calendar year shall subject the permittee to the penalty of fine and imprisonment imposed by Section 15-22 hereof.
[G.O. No. 1315, § 1; G.O. No. 1320, § III]
(a) 
Requirements for tape dialer systems. No permit for a tape dialer system, whether installed prior to the effective date of this chapter or after such date shall be issued unless the system complies with the provisions of this chapter and is also:
(1) 
Approved by the Chief of Police or Fire Chief after the performance of a test alarm conducted by or on behalf of the applicant. All such system wiring connected to the phone system shall be installed so as to be compatable with the telephone system so that incoming or outgoing calls will not interfere with the alarm systems proper operation.
(2) 
Coded to dial a special number which shall be provided by the Chief of Police or Fire Chief; no tape dialer system shall be coded to dial the number of the general police switchboard of the Town.
(3) 
Coded to notify a relative, neighbor, or other third party who shall be named in the registration required by this chapter.
(4) 
Capable of being disconnected by the owner to permit a call to the police switchboard in the event that a false alarm occurs.
(5) 
Worded in an intelligible format approved by the Chief of Police or Fire Chief and complying with the following requirements:
a. 
No message shall be transmitted more than three times as a result of a single stimulus of the mechanism.
b. 
Messages shall not exceed 15 seconds and the time gap between delivery shall be approximately 10 seconds.
c. 
The messages shall contain in the following order (a) the alarm number provided by the Police Department; (b) the name of the resident or business; and (c) the street address of the premises alarmed.
(6) 
Adjusted so as to suppress false indications and not to be actuated by impulses due to pressure changes in water pipes, short flashes of light, wind, noises, rattling, or vibration of doors or windows, changes in atmospheric temperature or other forces unrelated to general alarms.
(7) 
Provided with an automatic line seizure device in the event the line from the premises where the alarm is installed is busy with an incoming or outgoing call.
(8) 
Certified by a person licensed under this chapter as an alarm installer on forms supplied by the police or Fire Department, that the alarm system has been inspected by him, serviced as required, and tested for proper operation and that the system complies with the requirements of this chapter. Notwithstanding this provision, the permittee shall have the right to personally inspect a tape dialer system owned or leased by such permittee and installed in premises owned or leased by such permittee at the time of the initial installation and each annual renewal thereof without the necessity of hiring such licensed alarm installer to do so, provided that such self-inspection shall include a test alarm to the police headquarters which will require appropriate arrangements with the Police Department and a five minute prior telephone warning by the permittee to the police that such test is to take place and which shall require the person on duty at the police headquarters to receive the taped message to certify that the taped message, its duration and other aspects of its transmittal and content comply with the requirements of this chapter. In the event that there have been three or more false alarms attributable to a tape dialer alarm system in the calendar year prior to the year for which a renewal permit is being sought, the permittee shall not be allowed to make a self-inspection but must, at the time of the renewal of the permit, have the tape dialer system inspected by an alarm installer licensed under the provisions of this chapter and certified by him as set forth above.
(b) 
Fees for initial issue or renewal of tape dialer permit. The permittee of each tape dialer system shall pay to the Town an annual fee of $12 at the time an initial application is submitted and by January 15th of each year thereafter so long as the permit is in force to cover the cost of registration and testing, and to amortize the cost of the special telephone line or lines required in the police headquarters along with ancillary tape devices necessitated by these systems. If any permittee shall fail, neglect or refuse to pay the annual fee and shall remain in such default for 30 days, the Chief of Police or Fire Chief or designated representatives is authorized, on five days' notice to such permittee, order such permittee to disconnect the permittee's alarm system from the special police number.
(c) 
Time for obtaining a tape dialer permit for system installed prior to the adoption of this chapter.
(1) 
If any person has a tape dialer system installed at the time of the passage of this chapter, he shall have 30 days in which to apply for a permit, pay the annual fee, re-program the equipment to comply with the terms of this chapter, obtain the necessary inspection and certification. Any person failing to comply therewith and continuing to have installed a tape dialer system programmed to the general police and Fire Department telephone numbers shall be in violation of this chapter. On request all owners of tape dialer systems seeking a permit or renewal thereof must furnish proof satisfactory to the police chief of the date of installation of the tape dialer system.
(2) 
If any tape dialer system shall hereafter be found to be dialing the general police or fire headquarters number rather than the special telephone number reserved for tape dialers, the occupant of the building or other person in whose name the telephone is listed shall be sent a notice in writing by the Chief of Police or Fire Chief requiring compliance with the terms of this chapter. If the occupant or telephone subscriber shall fail within 30 days after receipt of said notice to comply, he shall be in violation of this chapter.
(d) 
Annual inspection required. Prior to the annual renewal of an existing tape dialer permit, the applicant must submit a certification on forms supplied by the police or Fire Department signed by a person licensed under this chapter as an alarm installer, certifying that the alarm system has been inspected by him, serviced as required and tested for proper operation and that said system complies with the requirements of this chapter.