The following words and terms, as used herein, have the meanings
respectively ascribed to them, as follows:
A person in the business of selling, providing, maintaining,
servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving or installing an
alarm system in an alarm site. This definition shall also include
individuals or firms that install and service the alarm systems that
will be used in their private or proprietary facilities. This does
not include persons doing installation or repair work where such work
is performed without compensation of any kind (i.e., “do-it-yourselfers”).
The person responsible for the alarm site and responsible
for compliance with this article.
A premises or location served by an alarm system.
An electrical or electric mechanical device or system which
transmits a signal intended to summon police to a burglar or robbery
alarm. “Alarm system” does not mean an alarm installed
on a vehicle, unless used for a habitation at a permanent site, or
an alarm designated to alert only the inhabitants within premises,
but does include an alarm that emits an audible signal on the exterior
of a structure.
A notification intended to summon the police, which is initiated
or triggered by an alarm system designed to respond to a stimulus
characteristic of unauthorized intrusion.
The duties of the director shall be performed by the chief
of the police department or his designee.
A “do it yourself” alarm system that either directly
dials the police department or causes a telephone call to be made
to the police department has to meet all requirements and responsibilities
of this article.
A burglar alarm notification to the police, when the responding
police officer reasonably finds there is no evidence of unauthorized
intrusion or attempted unauthorized intrusion.
An institution required to have an alarm system by the provisions
of the Bank Protection Act of 1968 (12 USC section 1882, as amended).
An alarm system that emits a signal at an alarm site that
is audible from the exterior and/or interior of a structure.
A false burglary alarm that is answered more than twelve
(12) times in a twelve (12) month period.
An individual, corporation, partnership, association, organization,
or two (2) or more persons having a joint or common economic interest.
(Ordinance 2013-014, sec. 2, adopted 4/8/13; 1988 Code, sec. 21-26)
(a)
A
person commits an offense if he installs, operates or causes to be
operated an alarm system other than a local alarm without registering
the alarm with the director. A separate registration is required for
each alarm site and each type of alarm system as hereinabove defined
at each site.
(b)
Upon
receipt of the completed registration form, the director shall cause
the information to be entered into the department’s database
in the department’s records management system.
(c)
Each
registration must contain the name, address, and telephone number
of the person who is responsible for the proper maintenance and operation
of the alarm system and payment of fees or charges levied under this
article. Each registration must also contain the name, address, and
telephone number of at least two (2) persons who are able and have
agreed to receive notification from a member of the city’s police
department or alarm monitoring service at any time and to come to
the alarm site within twenty (20) minutes after receiving such notification.
(d)
An
alarm registration cannot be transferred to another person. However,
the individual designated to respond to an alarm or relay an alarm
may be changed. An alarm registration holder must inform the director
of any change that alters information listed on the alarm registration.
(Ordinance 2013-014, sec. 2, adopted 4/8/13; 1988 Code, sec. 21-27)
(a)
An alarm registration holder is allowed twelve (12) false burglar alarms in a twelve (12) month calendar period with exception of any false alarm as defined in section 5.02.005. Upon a response to the twelfth (12th) burglar alarm, the director will notify the alarm registration holder that the allowable alarm limit has been reached and any additional responses will be made with a fee charged. Any response to a subsequent false burglar alarm will result in a response fee as set forth in the fee schedule in appendix A of this code for each response.
(b)
An
alarm registration holder must pay any service fee assessed under
the provisions of this section within forty-five (45) days after receipt
of a mailed notice that it has been assessed by the director.
(Ordinance 2013-014, sec. 2, adopted 4/8/13; 1988 Code, sec. 21-28; Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
(a)
An alarm system shall be deemed a nuisance alarm after twelve (12) false alarms in a twelve (12) month period, not including those excepted in section 5.02.005. Each subsequent response to an alarm not excepted under section 5.02.005 shall cause a fee as set forth in the fee schedule in appendix A of this code to be charged to the alarm registration holder.
(b)
A
person commits an offense if he continues to operate a nuisance alarm
system that has more than nineteen (19) false alarms in a twelve (12)
month period or if the person fails to pay any response fees within
forty-five (45) days of a mailed notice. A complaint alleging violation
of this article will be filed in the municipal court of the city upon
the 20th false alarm which is a non-excepted alarm.
(Ordinance 2013-014, sec. 2, adopted 4/8/13; 1988 Code, sec. 21-29; Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
(a)
The
director shall not consider an alarm notification to be false if he
determines that the alarm was caused by:
(b)
The
alarm registration holder may appeal any alarm declared as false to
the director. Factual evidence is required for the alarm to be declared
excepted. The determination of the director in classifying an alarm
notification as false or actual is final.
(c)
An
alarm that is initiated more than once over a twenty-four (24) hour
period or in a forty-eight (48) hour period involving Saturday and
Sunday shall be considered one (1) false alarm.
(Ordinance 2013-014, sec. 2, adopted 4/8/13; 1988 Code, sec. 21-30)
(a)
An
alarm registration holder must:
(b)
A
person in control of a local alarm must:
(1)
Adjust the mechanism so that an alarm signal will sound for no longer
than fifteen (15) minutes after being activated;
(2)
Display in a prominent exterior location an identification notice
with the name and phone number of two (2) or more responsible persons
to be called; and
(3)
Come to the alarm site within twenty (20) minutes after receiving
a request from a member of the city’s police department to do
so, and grant access to the site and deactivate the alarm if necessary.
(c)
In
the event that a mechanism sounds an alarm signal for longer than
twenty (20) minutes after being activated, the police chief or their
designated representatives are authorized to call any professional
alarm installation company to disable the alarm. All costs of the
city in disabling such an alarm shall be assessed to the operator
of the alarm system and shall be paid to the city within thirty (30)
days after the operator has received notice that such costs have been
assessed. Submitting an alarm registration under the provisions of
this article constitutes a grant of approval by the operator of the
alarm system for the city to deactivate the local alarm system under
the provisions of this subsection.
(Ordinance 2013-014, sec. 2, adopted 4/8/13; 1988 Code, sec. 21-31)
All alarm installation companies and monitoring companies who
install, maintain service or monitor robbery and burglar alarm systems
in the city shall maintain a license through the state department
of public safety private security bureau. (Ref. Occupations Code section
1702.102.)
(Ordinance 2013-014, sec. 2, adopted 4/8/13; 1988 Code, sec. 21-32)
Before the second anniversary of the adoption of this article,
the city council shall:
(1)
Review
the effect of this article on the number of false alarms reported
to the police department;
(2)
Conduct
public hearings on the need to continue this article; and
(3)
Abolish,
continue, or modify this article.
(Ordinance 2013-014, sec. 2, adopted 4/8/13; 1988 Code, sec. 21-34)
