[HISTORY: Adopted by the Common Council of
the City of Hudson 12-19-2023 by L.L. No. 1-2024.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Editor's Note: This local law also repealed former Ch. 62,
Alarms, adopted 3-15-1988 by L.L. No. 2-1988 (Ch. 28A of the 1973
Code), as amended.
This chapter shall be known as the "City of Hudson Emergency
Alarm Law."
The Common Council of the City of Hudson hereby finds and declares
that there is a growing incidence of false emergency alarms sounded
throughout the City. Such false alarms utilize an increasing amount
of valuable time of City police officers. Often, the City Police Department
must respond to false emergency alarms at the same location on repeated
occasions. Such false soundings hamper law enforcement efforts and
pose an increased risk to citizens when police time is wasted responding
to nonemergencies. The Council therefore finds and declares that it
is in the public interest to establish a statute governing the sale,
installation, and maintenance of commercial and residential alarms,
to include, but not be limited to, burglary, fire and other emergency
alarms in the City of Hudson.
For purposes of this chapter, the following terms are hereby
defined:
Any type of device or system of devices which provides warning
of intrusion, fire, smoke, burglary, flood or like perils and which
transmits emergency signals via telephone lines or otherwise to police
headquarters or sounds an alarm audible outside the building, structure
or property protected by the emergency alarm. Specifically excluded
is a standard household smoke alarm which has as its primary function
giving warning of smoke or fire to the occupants of the building or
structure, or portion thereof, protected by such alarm.
Any signal necessitating response by the Police or Fire Department
where an emergency situation does not exist.
Any licensed installer, as defined in this chapter, or a
property owner who self-installs an emergency alarm system on his/her
own property.
Any person duly licensed to install security or fire alarm
systems pursuant to § 69-m of Article 6-D of the General
Business Law of the State of New York. "Licensed installer" shall
not include self-installations performed by the property owner of
a security or fire alarm system on their own property.
The fourth and each subsequent false alarm which occurs at
one location during any twelve-month period.
Any natural person, partnership, corporation, association,
or other legal entity.
A.Â
No emergency alarm shall be operated in the City of Hudson without
prior registration of the alarm with the Police Department of the
City of Hudson.
B.Â
Every person required to register an emergency alarm must furnish
the Hudson Police Department at the time of registration, and as necessary
thereafter, a list of current information as follows:
(1)Â
The name, residence address and telephone number of the registrant.
(2)Â
The name, address, and telephone number of any other person at a
different location who is authorized to respond to an emergency and
open the location where the alarm system is installed to reset the
alarm.
(3)Â
In the case of a business location, the registrant shall provide
the Police Department with at least three persons to contact in case
of an emergency who have access to the location.
(4)Â
Where a licensed installer has installed the alarm, the name, address,
and telephone number of the licensed installer who installed the emergency
alarm, and the name, address, and telephone number of the person,
if any, with whom the registrant has contracted for service of the
emergency alarm.
C.Â
A one-time registration fee as established by the Common Council
shall be charged by the City of Hudson for residential alarms and
business alarms. An annual registration fee as established by the
Common Council shall be charged by the City of Hudson for an emergency
alarm at a business location and residential location, to be billed
by the Hudson Police Department in January of each year.
A.Â
No installer shall do business in the City of Hudson unless such
person has provided to the City of Hudson Police Department a copy
of the license issued to such person pursuant to the provisions of
Article 6-D of the General Business Law. This subsection shall not
apply to emergency alarm systems self-installed by the owner of the
property.
B.Â
Prior to the installation of any emergency alarm, the installer shall
inform the purchaser of the alarm of the requirement for registration
of the alarm and shall not complete installation until such person
has registered the alarm with the Hudson Police Department.
C.Â
No emergency alarm having an audible alarm shall be installed or
registered unless such alarm automatically terminates the audible
signal within 15 minutes of its activation.
D.Â
The registrant of an emergency alarm shall notify the Hudson Police
Department of the removal, disconnection or other act rendering an
emergency alarm inoperable. Thereafter, the resumption of operation
of an emergency alarm at such premises shall require a new registration.
An emergency alarm must be maintained in proper working order
at all times. The maintenance is the responsibility of the person
in whose name the alarm is registered.
Testing of the system or device shall be conducted in the following
manner:
A.Â
No more than one test shall be conducted per calendar month, unless
otherwise authorized by the Hudson Police Department.
B.Â
The registrant, or their agent, must notify the Police Department
either in person or by phone before the testing of the system. When
notifying the Police Department of the test, the person making the
notification must indicate the registration number of the emergency
alarm for purposes of security.
A.Â
When a signal, message or warning is transmitted to the City Police
Department which indicates a failure to comply with the provisions
of this chapter, or when emergency services receive persistent false
alarms as defined in this chapter, the Chief of Police is authorized
to demand that the registrant disconnect such device until it is made
to comply with the provisions of this chapter.
B.Â
Fees in an amount established by resolution of the Common Council
shall be assessed upon the second and each subsequent incidence of
a false alarm in a twelve-month period. Such fee shall be paid to
the Police Department if said person has received the following notice
in the manner prescribed:
(1)Â
Written notice to the registrant of the system and property owner
by certified mail through the United States Postal Service from the
Chief of Police upon the first false alarm, stating the fees payable
upon all subsequent false alarms, the potential of a demand for disconnection,
and the potential nonresponse by the Police Department to subsequent
alarms.
C.Â
Upon the failure to pay the fee assessed in Subsection B above, the City shall add the unpaid fee to the tax bill of the owner of the property where the false alarm originated.
D.Â
Police officers responding to all false alarms shall file an official
police report indicating all pertinent information pertaining to said
false alarm, the original copy of which shall be forwarded to the
Police Chief upon each and every occurrence of such false alarms.
E.Â
The Police Chief, in his/her discretion, after written evidence is
presented to them by a property owner or registrant of the alarm system
that they have taken steps to correct the problem or cause of the
false alarms, may suspend the assessment of fees and disconnection.
F.Â
There shall be no liability to the City as a result of a disconnection
pursuant to this chapter, or as a result of the Police Department,
or any of its officers, not responding to an alarm.
Any person having an emergency alarm operating within the City
of Hudson without current registration with the Hudson Police Department
shall be guilty of a violation, which shall be punishable by a fine
not exceeding $100.
