[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Allentown 3-3-1976 by Ord. No. 12175 (Article 1781 of the 1962 Codified Ordinances). Amendments noted where applicable.]
The following definitions shall apply in the interpretation and enforcement of this chapter:
ALARM EQUIPMENT SUPPLIER
Any person, firm or corporation who sells, leases and/or installs automatic protection devices.
ANSWERING SERVICE
A service whereby trained employees in attendance at all times receive prerecorded voice messages from automatic protection devices reporting an emergency at a stated station and who have the duty to relay immediately by live voice any such emergency message over a designated or direct trunk line to the Emergency Communication Center.
AUDIBLE ALARM
Any device, bell, horn or siren which is attached to the interior or exterior of a building or motor vehicle and emits a warning signal audible outside the building or motor vehicle and is designed to attract attention when activated by a criminal act or other emergency requiring police or firemen to respond.
[Amended 2-20-1992 by Ord. No. 13112]
AUTOMATIC PROTECTION DEVICE
An electrically operated instrument composed of sensory apparatus and related hardware which automatically transmits a prerecorded voice alarm or other signal over regular telephone line, by direct or indirect connection to the Emergency Communication Center, upon receipt of a stimulus from a sensory apparatus that has detected a physical force or condition inherently characteristic of a fire or intrusion.
CENTRAL STATION PROTECTIVE SYSTEM
A protective system or group of such systems, operated privately for customers by a person, firm or corporation which maintains, supervises and accepts recorded messages from automatic protection devices at a central station having trained operators and guards in attendance at all times that have the duty to take appropriate action upon receipt of a signal or message, including the relaying of messages by designated or direct trunk line to the Emergency Communication Center.
CITY
The City of Allentown, Pennsylvania.
DESIGNATED TRUNK LINE
A telephone line leading into the Emergency Communication Center that is for the primary purpose of handling emergency messages which originate from automatic protection devices and are transmitted directly or indirectly through an intermediary.
DIRECT TRUNK LINE
A nonlisted directly connected telephone line leading from an intermediary to the Emergency Communication Center that is for the primary purpose of handling emergency messages on a person-to-person basis.
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER
The City of Allentown's Communication Center located at 425 Hamilton Street which handles all police, fire and other emergency communications.
FALSE ALARM
Any signal activated by an automatic protection device, any audible alarm or any other kind of direct or indirect signal given the Emergency Communication Center to which police or firemen respond, which is not the result of a burglary, fire, robbery or similar emergency, including weather extremes, which activates a protection device.
INTERMEDIARY
A central station protective system or an answering service as herein defined.
KEY
To use a telephone line and equipment for transmitting a message either directly or indirectly by an automatic protection device.
MOTOR VEHICLE
A machine ordinarily propelled by power and designed to travel by use of wheels, treads, runners or slides and to transport persons or property and shall include, without limitation, automobiles, trucks, trailers, motorcycles and tractors.
PERMIT
Written permission, duly granted to an applicant by the City upon payment of the required fee.
PRIMARY TRUNK LINE
A telephone line leading into the Emergency Communication Center that is for the purpose of handling emergency calls on a person-to-person basis, and which line is identified by a specific listing among the white pages in the telephone directory issued by the Bell Telephone Company.
SECONDARY TRUNK LINE
A telephone line leading into the Emergency Communication Center that is for the purpose of handling administrative and other calls on a person-to-person basis and which is identified by a specific listing among the white pages in the telephone directory issued by the Bell Telephone Company.
A. 
Within 90 days from the effective date of this chapter, every owner or lessee of an audible alarm attached to the interior or exterior of a building shall furnish to the Emergency Communication Center a current list of such installations which shall include the following information:
[Amended 2-20-1992 by Ord. No. 13112]
(1) 
The name, residence and telephone number of the owner or lessee.
(2) 
The address where the device is installed and the telephone number of that address.
(3) 
The names, addresses and telephone numbers of at least two persons who are authorized to respond to an emergency and gain access to the address where the device is installed.
B. 
After the enactment of this chapter, owners or lessees shall equip audible alarms, other than fire alarms, with a timing mechanism that will disengage the audible alarm after a maximum period of 30 minutes. Audible alarms without such a timing mechanism, other than fire alarms, shall be unlawful in the City and shall be disconnected by the owner or lessee within 60 days from the effective date of this chapter.
[Amended 2-20-1992 by Ord. No. 13112]
A. 
Automatic protection devices installed after the effective date of this chapter shall be keyed to the trunk line assigned them by the City.
B. 
Within 60 days after the effective date of this chapter, all existing automatic protection devices that transmit recorded messages directly to the Emergency Communication Center shall be keyed to the trunk line assigned them by the City.
C. 
After the effective date of this chapter, no one except an alarm equipment supplier holding a valid permit from the City shall install any automatic protection device to an Emergency Communication Center trunk line.
[Amended 2-20-1992 by Ord. No. 13112]
A. 
Any person who has an automatic protection device in the City may arrange to have such device keyed to an intermediary authorized to relay emergency messages to the Emergency Communication Center.
B. 
The relay of messages by authorized intermediaries shall be over a trunk line assigned them by the City.
C. 
Automatic protection devices keyed to an authorized intermediary may also be keyed to another telephone which the owner or lessee of the automatic protection device has available to himself or his representative at some other location.
[Amended 2-20-1992 by Ord. No. 13112]
A. 
Within 90 days from the effective date of this chapter, every alarm equipment supplier who has keyed an automatic protection device in the City to an assigned trunk line shall furnish to the Emergency Communication Center a current list of such installations which shall include the following information:
(1) 
The name, residence and telephone number of the owner or lessee.
(2) 
The address where the device is installed and the telephone number of that address.
(3) 
The name, address and telephone number of a central station protective system or any other person or firm who is authorized to respond to an emergency and gain access to the address where the device is installed. Where there is not twenty-four-hour service maintained, there shall be at least two other persons listed.
B. 
By the fifth working day of each month following submission of the initial list, every alarm equipment supplier shall furnish the Emergency Communication Center with a supplemental list of any additional installations he has keyed to assigned trunk lines, along with any correction to or deletions from the list previously furnished. An alarm equipment supplier who enters into the business after the effective date of this chapter shall furnish a list containing the information specified in Subsection A hereof by the fifth working day of the month following a first installation and shall thereafter furnish the supplemental list as required by this chapter.
C. 
All information furnished pursuant to this chapter shall be kept confidential and shall be for the use of the Emergency Communication Center.
[Amended 2-20-1992 by Ord. No. 13112]
Automatic protection devices installed in the City that are keyed to an assigned trunk line in the Emergency Communication Center shall meet the following requirements:
A. 
The recorded content shall be, "This is an emergency - Please stand by." Then repeat three times, "This is a recorded message reporting the fire/burglar alarm system has been activated (complete address)."
B. 
No more than one call shall be made over an assigned trunk line to the Emergency Communication Center as a result of a single activation of the automatic protection device.
C. 
The message portion may be repeated during one call but the interval between each message shall be no less than three seconds nor more than five seconds.
D. 
The sensory mechanism used in connection with an automatic protection device shall be adjusted to suppress false indications of fire or intrusion, so that the device will not be actuated by impulses due to fleeting pressure changes in water pipes, short flashes of light, the rattling or vibrating of doors and windows, vibrations to the premises caused by the passing of vehicles or any other force not related to alarms.
E. 
All components comprising such a device shall be maintained by the owner or lessee in good repair to assure maximum reliability of operation.
[Amended 2-20-1992 by Ord. No. 13112]
Each alarm equipment supplier who sells or leases an automatic protection device in the City after the effective date of this chapter, which is keyed to an assigned trunk line, shall furnish operating instructions, a circuit diagram and maintenance manual to the buyer or lessee.
A. 
Each alarm equipment supplier who sells or leases an automatic protection device in the City, which is keyed to an assigned trunk line, shall make service available directly or through an agent on a twenty-four-hour-per-day basis, seven days a week, to repair such device or to correct any malfunction that may occur. Such service shall be made available to any person using an automatic protection device at such users election and expense.
B. 
At the time of installation, an alarm equipment supplier shall furnish to any buyer or lessee using a repair service written information as to how service may be obtained at any time, including the telephone number of the alarm equipment supplier or agent responsible for service. The buyer or lessee and the alarm equipment supplier or agent supplying a service shall be responsible for having the device disconnected or repaired as quickly as possible after notice that the automatic protection device is not functioning properly.
[Amended 2-20-1992 by Ord. No. 13112]
A. 
The sensory mechanism used in connection with an automatic motor vehicle protection device shall be adjusted to suppress false indications of burglary or intrusion, so that the device will not be activated by impulse or vibration caused by any force not related to the alarms.
B. 
All components comprising such a device shall be maintained by the owner or lessee in good repair to assure maximum reliability of operation.
[Amended 7-6-1977 by Ord. No. 12255; 2-20-1992 by Ord. No. 13112]
When messages evidencing failure to comply with the operational requirements set forth in this section are received by the Emergency Communication Center and the Bureau (Fire or Police) concerned concludes that the automatic protection device sending such messages should be disconnected in order to relieve the particular Bureau of responding to false alarms, the Bureau is authorized to demand that the owner or lessee of the device, or his representative, disconnect the device until it is made to comply with the operational requirements. If disconnection of the defective device is not accomplished promptly and of the Bureau concerned determines that the malfunctioning device is repeatedly sending false alarms without intermittent valid alarms, the Bureau may take any steps necessary to disconnect the defective protection device.
[Amended 2-20-1992 by Ord. No. 13112]
The Director of Finance shall establish reasonable fees from time to time for all permits to be issued under this chapter.
[Amended 7-21-1982 by Ord. No. 12513; 1-4-1984 by Ord. No. 12589; 2-20-1992 by Ord. No. 13112; 9-22-1994 by Ord. No. 13277]
A. 
In the event that more than two false alarms (as defined in § 154-1 of this Code) are received within a period of 30 days from any single automatic building or protection device or alarm the user, whether the owner or lessee of said device, shall be charged a fee for service from the City of Allentown, Bureau of Police, in an amount established by the Mayor through an administrative policy, for the third and each subsequent false alarm in the thirty-day period.
B. 
In the event that more than two false alarms (as defined in § 154-1 of this Code) are received from any motor vehicle protection device or alarm the user, whether the owner or lessee of said device, shall be charged a fee for service from the City of Allentown, Bureau of Police, in an amount established by the Mayor through an administrative policy, for the third and each subsequent false alarm.
C. 
In the event a violation of this chapter occurs, in addition to such other remedies as may be available under existing law, the City may institute an action in equity to prevent, restrain, correct, abate, or enjoin such violation.
D. 
Any person violating the provisions of this chapter or sections of this chapter shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than 90 days, or both.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]