[Ord. No. 141, 12-21-1982]
The purpose of this article is to provide minimum standards and regulations applicable to burglar, hold-up and fire alarm systems and alarm users, and to encourage the installation of protective alarm systems in all dwellings, commercial, industrial and agricultural structures.
[Ord. No. 141, 12-21-1982]
The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
ALARM AGENT
Means any person employed by an alarm business whose duties include the altering, installing, maintaining, moving, repairing, replacing, selling, servicing, responding to, or causing others to respond to an alarm device.
ALARM BUSINESS
Means any business operated by a person for a profit which engages in the activity of altering, installing, leasing, maintaining, repairing, replacing, selling, servicing or responding to a burglar, hold-up alarm system or fire alarm system, or which causes any of these activities to take place.
ALARM SYSTEM
Means an assembly of equipment and devices (or a single device, such as a solid-state unit, which plugs directly into a 110 volt AC line) arranged to signal the presence of a hazard requiring urgent attention and to which police or firemen are expected to respond. In this article, the term "alarm system" shall include the terms "automatic hold-up alarm systems," "burglar alarm systems," "hold-up alarm systems," "manual hold-up alarm systems," and "fire alarm systems" as those terms are defined in this section. Alarm systems which monitor temperature, humidity or any other condition not directly related to the detection of an unauthorized intrusion into a premises or an attempted robbery or a fire or smoke condition at a premises are specifically excluded from the provisions of this article.
ALARM USER
Means any person on whose premises an alarm system is maintained within the town except for alarm systems on motor vehicles or proprietary systems. If, however, an alarm system on a motor vehicle is connected with an alarm system at a premises other than a proprietary system, the person using such a system shall be an alarm user. Also excluded from this definition and from the coverage of this article are persons who use alarm systems to alert or signal persons within the premises in which the alarm system is located, of an attempted unauthorized intrusion or hold-up attempt. If such a system, however, employs an audible signal-emitting sound or a flashing light or beacon designed to signal persons outside the premises, such system shall be within the definition of alarm system and shall be subject to this article.
ANNUNCIATOR
Means the instrumentation on an alarm console at the receiving terminal of a signal line which through both visual and audible signals shows when an alarm device at a particular location has been activated or it may also indicate line trouble.
ANSI
Stands for the American National Standards Institute.
ANSWERING SERVICE
Refers to a telephone answering service providing among its services the service of receiving on a continuous basis through trained employees, emergency signals from alarm systems and thereafter immediately relaying the message by live voice to the communication center of the police department.
AUTOMATIC HOLD-UP ALARM SYSTEM
Means an alarm system in which the signal transmission is initiated by the action of the robber.
AUTOMATIC PROTECTIVE DEVICE
Is any emergency reporting device which utilizes mechanical or electrical means to automatically place a telephone call and which plays a prerecorded message to another location upon activation (a dialer alarm).
BURGLAR ALARM SYSTEM
Refers to an alarm system signaling an entry or attempted entry into the area protected by the system.
CENTRAL STATION EQUIPMENT
Refers to the signal receiving, recording or retransmitting equipment installed in the central station.
CENTRAL STATION SYSTEM
Means a system in which the operation of electrical protection circuits and devices are signaled automatically to, recorded in, maintained, and supervised from a central station having trained operators and guards in attendance at all times.
CENTRAL SYSTEM
Means an office to which remote alarm and supervisory signaling devices are connected, where operators supervise the circuits, and where guards are maintained continuously to investigate signals.
DIRECT CONNECT
Means an alarm system which has the capability of transmitting system signals to and receiving them at an agency maintained by the local government; for example, a police communication center.
DIRECT LINE
Means a telephone line leading directly from a central station to the communication center of the police department that is for use only to report emergency signals on a person-to-person basis.
FALSE ALARM
Means the activation of an alarm system through mechanical failure, malfunction, improper installation or the negligence of the owner or lessee of an alarm system or of his employees or agents. Such terminology does not include, for example, alarms caused by hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, or other violent conditions. False fire alarms shall not mean alarms transmitted because of a water main break or similar causes that occur outside of the protected property. False alarms also do not include those alarms that are transmitted with a criminal, malicious or mischievous intent.
FIRE ALARM SYSTEM
Refers to a signal or message from a person or device indicating the existence of a fire or other emergency which requires fire department action.
FIRE CHIEF
Means the certified person designated as fire chief by the town, or his designated representative.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Means the publicly supported companies authorized by the town to provide fire protection services.
HOLD-UP ALARM SYSTEM
Refers to an alarm system signaling a robbery or attempted robbery.
LOCAL ALARM SYSTEM
Refers to a signaling system which when activated causes an audible or visual signaling device to be activated in or on the premises within which the system is installed.
MANUAL HOLD-UP ALARM SYSTEM
Refers to an alarm system in which the signal transmission is initiated by the direct action of the person attacked or by an observer of the attack.
MODIFIED CENTRAL STATION
Means an office to which remote alarm and supervisory signaling devices are connected, where operators supervise the circuits. Such modified central station is not listed by Underwriters' Laboratories.
POLICE CHIEF
Means the chief of the police department of the town or his designated representative.
POLICE or POLICE DEPARTMENT
Means the publicly supported police department of the town or any authorized agent thereof.
PRIMARY TRUNKLINE
Means a telephone line leading directly into the communication center of the police department that is for the purpose of handling emergency calls on a person-to-person basis, and which is identified as such by a specific number included among the emergency numbers listed in the telephone directory issued by the telephone company and covering the service area within the police department's jurisdiction.
REMOTE SIGNALING SYSTEM
Means an alarm signaling system which when activated by an alarm device transmits a signal from an alarm signaling device to a central location, other than the police department, where appropriate action is taken to investigate and respond to the signal.
SIGNAL LINE
Refers to the transmission line through which the signal passes from one (1) of the elements of the signal transmission to another.
SUBSCRIBER
Means a person who buys or leases, or otherwise obtains an alarm signaling system and thereafter contracts with or hires an alarm business to monitor or service the alarm device.
TELEPHONE COMPANY
Means the utility that furnishes telephone services to the town.
UL
Stands for Underwriters' Laboratories.
[Ord. No. 141, 12-21-1982]
It shall be unlawful for any person to own or to occupy any building or structure where there is installed an alarm system, which is used or so installed that it can be used by such owner or occupant, without registering the same with the chief of police.
[Ord. No. 141, 12-21-1982]
(a) 
Applications for registration of an alarm system shall be made within thirty (30) days of any installation of an alarm system on forms provided by the chief of police and shall include the following information:
(1) 
Name, residence address and telephone number of owner or occupant;
(2) 
Address of place where device is installed and telephone number at that location;
(3) 
Name and telephone number of any other person at a different location who is authorized to respond to any emergency and open the place where the device is installed;
(4) 
Name, address and telephone number of company responsible for servicing the alarm.
(b) 
A form will be available from the police department.
[Ord. No. 141, 12-21-1982]
(a) 
Upon the favorable recommendation of the police chief, alarms from business premises and financial institutions may be terminated in police headquarters.
(b) 
The alarm subscriber approved for a direct connection to police headquarters or the alarm business contracting for servicing the subscriber's alarm system, shall be responsible for obtaining the leased telephone line between subscriber's premises and the alarm receiving equipment at police headquarters and for furnishing the appropriate interface equipment, if required, in order to provide an input signal which is compatible with the receiving equipment used to operate the standard annunciator panel.
[Ord. No. 141, 12-21-1982]
Each owner or lessee, at his expense, is required to maintain all components of his alarm system in good working order at all times to ensure that the sensory mechanism used in connection with such device be adjusted to suppress false indications of hold-ups or intrusions or fire or smoke conditions so that the device will not be activated by impulses due to short flashes of light, wind, noises, vehicular noise or other forces unrelated to genuine alarms.
[Ord. No. 141, 12-21-1982]
No alarm system designed to transmit emergency messages directly to police headquarters shall be tested or demonstrated without first obtaining permission from the chief of police or fire chief. Permission is not required to test or demonstrate alarm devices not transmitting emergency messages directly to police headquarters unless the messages are to be relayed to police headquarters.
[Ord. No. 141, 12-21-1982]
When an alarm business's service to its subscribers is disrupted for any reason by the alarm business, or the alarm business becomes aware of such disruption, it shall promptly notify its subscriber by telephone that protection is no longer being provided. If, however, the alarm business has written instructions from its subscriber not to make such notification by telephone during certain hours, the alarm business may comply with such instruction.
[Ord. No. 141, 12-21-1982]
(a) 
There shall be only one (1) indicator panel, which shall meet the specifications established by Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc. and the requirements of the chief of police, installed in the communications control center. Such panel shall be installed and maintained by the alarm equipment supplier at no cost to the town.
(b) 
The number of indicators mounted in such panel shall be limited as the chief of police may deem practical and within the capacity of the police communications center to monitor adequately.
[Ord. No. 141, 12-21-1982]
(a) 
Enforcement and administration of this article shall be the function of the chief of police except that the fire chief shall have jurisdiction over fire alarm systems and shall enforce and administer provisions concerning same as provided in this section.
(b) 
The standards for alarm performance are as follows:
(1) 
No automatic protecting device installed after January 12, 1983, in the town shall be keyed either to primary or secondary trunklines of the police department.
(2) 
Within sixty (60) days after January 12, 1983, all automatic protective devices in the town that are keyed on that date to a primary or secondary trunkline of the police department shall be disconnected therefrom. The owner or lessee of such a device, at his own expense, shall be responsible for such disconnection.
(3) 
Automatic dialer devices shall not be responded to on an emergency basis. They will be handled as a routine call only.
(4) 
A maximum of six (6) false alarms from any one (1) protected property per calendar year shall be acceptable.
(5) 
After the sixth false alarm, the subscriber shall be notified in writing. Such notification shall require that their alarm system be inspected by the installing alarm company and the subscriber shall review alarm procedures with all employees. Also, written notification shall be made to the police chief or fire chief, as appropriate, indicating that the alarm problem has been corrected.
(6) 
Upon receipt of the seventh and eighth false alarms, the town shall charge a penalty of fifteen dollars ($15.00); for any subsequent false alarm, the town shall charge a penalty of twenty-five dollars ($25.00).
(7) 
After that, if the alarm has not been repaired it will be disconnected and will not be reconnected until the problem has been solved with a written notice of such repair from the alarm company which did the installation, or other qualified installer.
(c) 
If the owner of, or lessee or alarm equipment supplier fails to comply with any requirement of this article, the chief of police may terminate, in writing, the privilege of having equipment and indicators in the communications center in the police department and may require removal of the same within three (3) days from the receipt of the written notice, exclusive of Saturday, Sunday and holidays, at the expense of such owner or lessee or alarm equipment supplier. Failure to remove the equipment and indicators, as specified above, shall result in the town removing same at the expense of the person so notified.
(d) 
Failure of any owner or lessee, or alarm equipment supplier to comply with the requirements of a written notice of a violation of any provision of this article within three (3) days of receipt of such notice, exclusive of Saturday, Sunday and holidays, shall also constitute an offense punishable in accordance with section 1-9.
(e) 
All monies received from the above-mentioned fines shall be used by the police department for the internal security equipment fund.
[Ord. No. 141, 12-21-1982]
The town shall not be liable for any defects in operation of any signal line system, for any failure or neglect to respond appropriately upon receipt of an alarm from such a source, for any failure or neglect of any person in connection with the installation, operation, disconnection or removal of equipment, the transmission of alarm signals, or the relaying of such signals or messages.