The purpose of this chapter is to establish standards, procedures and controls intended to reduce false alarm responses by the Sheriff's Department.
(Ord. 13-793, § 2)
For purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings unless it is apparent from their context that a different meaning is intended:
shall mean any person who is employed by an alarm business, whether directly or indirectly, whose duties to that alarm business include engaging or causing any of the following: selling, leasing, maintaining, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving, installing, monitoring or removing an alarm system in or on buildings, places or premises.
shall mean any business engaged in selling, leasing, maintaining, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving, installing, monitoring or removing any alarm system in or on any building, place or premises, or causing same to be so sold, leased, maintained, serviced, repaired, altered, replaced, moved, installed or monitored.
shall mean a signal or sound initiated by an alarm system that indicates the existence of an emergency.
shall mean an electronic device designed for the detection of any type of emergency, that when actuated emits a sound or transmits an alarm signal to a central monitoring system, in either case indicating that an emergency exists at the building, place or premises where the electronic device is located.
shall mean a person contracting with or otherwise securing the services of an alarm business for the use, leasing, servicing or maintaining of an alarm system.
shall mean an alarm signal that elicits a response by the Sheriff's Department when no emergency exists at the building, place or premises of that alarm signal's origin. A false alarm includes an alarm signal activated by an animal, rodent, wind, or act of God.
shall mean an alarm system that is used to detect an emergency in or about a nonresidential structure.
shall mean an alarm system that is used to detect an emergency in or about a structure or area that is used primarily for nonbusiness purposes and intended for habitation, including individual dwelling unit(s) within a single- or multiple-family structure.
shall mean the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
(Ord. 13-793, § 2)
(a)
No alarm user shall intentionally or unintentionally give, signal, transmit, or cause to permit to be given, signaled or transmitted, a false alarm from his or her alarm system.
(b)
Upon investigation of a false alarm, if an alarm system continues to emit an alarm signal in excess of 30 minutes, after reasonable efforts to contact the alarm user or the alarm business that monitors the alarm system, the Sheriff's Department may cause the alarm system to be disconnected by an alarm agent. The alarm user shall be liable for the cost of disconnection services.
(c)
The maintenance of a false alarm is a violation of this chapter subject to an administrative citation pursuant to Chapter 7 of Title 1 of this Code.
(e)
All remedies, including those set forth in this section, shall be cumulative, and the use of one or more remedies by the City shall not bar the use of any other remedy for the purpose of enforcing the provisions of this chapter.
(Ord. 13-793, § 2)
(a)
The administrative penalty for false alarm violations shall be imposed as follows:
(1)
There shall be no penalty for the first nine false alarms emitted from a residential alarm system during any 365 day period. Commencing with the tenth (10th) false alarm, and for every subsequent false alarm, emitted during any 365 day period, a cited residential alarm user shall pay a penalty as established by City Council resolution.
(2)
There shall be no penalty for the first three false alarms emitted from a nonresidential alarm system during any 365 day period. Commencing with the fourth false alarm, and for every subsequent false alarm, emitted during any 365 day period, a cited nonresidential alarm user shall pay a penalty as established by City Council resolution.
(3)
Multiple false alarms emitted during a 24 hour period shall be considered a single false alarm event.
(4)
Any penalty payable hereunder shall be paid by the alarm user within 10 business days of any false alarm citation.
(Ord. 13-793, § 2)
Any person issued a citation for a violation of this chapter may contest the citation pursuant to Section 1-7.08 of this Code.
(Ord. 13-793, § 2)
Four or more false alarms within a 30 day period is excessive and shall constitute a public nuisance.
(Ord. 13-793, § 2)
Nothing in this chapter shall be deemed to impose any liability on the part of the City as to any alarm user or to any other person or entity, as a result of any defect in an alarm system, failure of the City to receive an alarm, or failure of the City or the Sheriff's Department to respond to any alarm regulated by this chapter, whether false or not. The City Council declares that it shall be entirely within the discretion of the Sheriff's Department receiving a report of an alarm activation, as to whether or not to respond to such alarm, and that the City assumes no duty to respond to any alarm as a result of the enactment of this chapter or prior decisions to respond to alarms.
(Ord. 13-793, § 2)