The purpose of this chapter is to encourage a reduction in the frequency of false alarms and to establish a service fee to compensate for the inappropriate use of municipal resources in response to false alarms.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Town of Windham 3-19-1982 (Ch. 53 of the 1991 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
For the purpose of this chapter, the following words and terms as used herein shall have the meanings defined or explained as follows:
A system, including any mechanism, equipment or device designed to automatically transmit a signal, message or warning from private premises, including telephonic alarm systems designed to operate automatically through the use of public telephone facilities, monitored by other private or public entity which, in turn, calls the Cumberland County Regional Communications Center.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
An alarm caused by malfunctioning of an alarm system, employee or resident error, inappropriate alarm equipment installation, improperly monitored equipment or inappropriate use of the alarm, including but not limited to the use of a robbery alarm for shoplifting or other lesser offense.
Any owner of an alarm system whose system causes the transmittal of a false alarm more than three times per calendar year shall pay a fee set by the Town Council for each false alarm in excess of three such alarms per year. Alarms generated as a result of circumstances beyond the alarm owner's control (e.g., power outage, weather conditions, telephone transmission problems, motor vehicle accident, etc.) shall not result in a service fee, nor shall they be counted in the three responses allowed per calendar year. The responding unit (police or fire) shall make the determination of the cause of the alarm as to whether it shall be considered a chargeable false alarm.
For every new alarm system, the Town shall allow a break-in period of two months during which no service fees shall be levied, and the false alarms registered during this period shall not be counted toward the three responses allowed under § 7-3 of this chapter.