The Village of Ardsley hereby finds that standards
and controls regarding intrusion, hold-up and other emergency signal
devices or protective services and the businesses and persons dealing
in such devices or protective services are necessary to safeguard
the public health, safety and welfare and that such standards and
controls will afford greater emergency protection to the public; will
expedite emergency communication and response; will facilitate coordination
of emergency procedures and identification of persons and devices
engaged in providing such procedures; will minimize false alarms and
other misleading and confusing signals or procedures; and will encourage
the use of reliable systems and personnel to facilitate emergency
services available to the public. This chapter is intended to serve
the foregoing purposes by prohibiting the sale, leasing, use, installation,
repair or maintenance of any police, fire or medical emergency alarm
device or protective service in the Village of Ardsley except in conformity
with the provisions of this chapter and the rules and regulations
promulgated hereunder.
For the purpose of this chapter, the following
words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to
them by this section:
ALARM DEVICE (POLICE, FIRE AND MEDICAL EMERGENCY)
Any device which, when activated by a criminal act, fire
or other emergency, transmits a prerecorded message or other signal
by telephone, radio, central alarm station or audible or visible signal
designed to cause any person within audible or visual range to notify
the Police Department or Fire Department or Ambulance Corps, requiring
their respective emergency response.
ALARM LICENSE
The written authorization of the County of Westchester granted
to any person to engage in the business of installing and/or servicing
police, fire or medical emergency alarm devices in the County of Westchester,
pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 863, Article XV, of the Laws
of Westchester.
ALARM LICENSEE
Any person, business, firm, corporation or other commercial
entity which is in the business of owning, operating, maintaining,
installing, leasing or selling a police, fire or medical emergency
alarm device or devices, which person, business, firm, corporation
or other commercial entity is, as owner, operator, provider of maintenance
service, installer, leaser or seller of said device, devices or system
of devices, licensed pursuant to the requirements of Chapter 863,
Article XV, of the Laws of Westchester.
ALARM PERMIT
The written authorization of the Village of Ardsley granted
to any person, business, firm, corporation or other entity to install,
maintain or cause to be installed or maintained in his place of business
or residence any police, fire or medical emergency alarm devices.
ALARM PERMIT YEAR
The period from January 1 until the next succeeding December
31, except the first "alarm permit year" shall commence on the effective
date of this chapter and end December 31 of that year.
CENTRAL ALARM STATION
Any facility operated by a private firm that owns or leases
a system of police, fire or medical emergency alarm devices, which
facility is manned by operators who receive, record or validate alarm
signals to the Police Department or Fire Department when appropriate.
DIRECTION CONNECTION
Any alarm device which transmits a signal or impulse over
a telephone line to the alarm indicator panel at police headquarters.
FALSE ALARM
Any signal actuated by a police, fire or medical emergency
alarm device, devices or system of devices which is not the result
of natural disaster, a criminal act, fire or other emergency requiring
police or fire response. The term "false alarm" shall include human
error and equipment malfunction causing the alarm to be activated
and which results in police or fire response.
SMOKE AND/OR HEAT DETECTOR
Any device which, when activated by fire or smoke or other
emergency, is designed to alert only the occupants of the building
in which the smoke and/or heat detectors are installed.
No person shall install, cause to be installed,
maintain or cause to be maintained in a structure, building or establishment
any externally audible police, fire or medical emergency alarm device
which does not also contain an automatic cutoff system or feature
automatically cutting off the source of power to the alarm device
after it has sounded for a period of no longer than 15 minutes. Any
currently installed externally audible police, fire or medical emergency
alarm device which does not contain an automatic cutoff system or
feature automatically cutting off the service of power to the alarm
device after it has sounded for a period of no longer than 15 minutes
shall be required to install such a cutoff device within 90 days of
the effective date hereof.
All applications for alarm permits shall be
submitted to the Village Police Department on a form to be supplied
by the Police Department. Said application shall include a description
of the police, fire or medical emergency alarm device, devices or
system of police, fire or medical emergency alarm device installed,
maintained or to be installed; the name, address and telephone number
of both the installer of the system; and the owner, lessee, occupant
or user of the premises where the alarm system will be installed;
and such other information as may be required by the Village.
All permit holders of holdup, panic, medic alert,
smoke and fire alarm devices shall be required to provide written
authorization to the Police Department to forcibly enter the premises
for the purpose of verifying the validity of the emergency condition.
Under no circumstances shall the cost of any
police, fire or medical emergency alarm device, devices or system
of police, fire or medical emergency alarm devices and the maintenance
of the same be charged to the Village of Ardsley, its Police Department
or Fire Department. The owner or lessee of such police, fire or medical
emergency alarm devices shall be solely responsible for the service
of his or her police, fire or medical emergency alarm devices and/or
correcting any malfunction of the same that may occur.
All police, fire and medical emergency false
alarm charges shall be collected by the Village of Ardsley.
It shall be the duty of the Chief of Police
to maintain a record of alarm permits issued and to make a monthly
report of the same to the Village Board.
If any provision of this chapter or the application
thereof to any person or circumstances is adjudged invalid by a court
of competent jurisdiction, such judgment shall not affect or impair
the validity of the other provisions of the chapter or the application
thereof to other persons and circumstances.
Any person, business, firm, corporation or other
entity who does not pay any fee or charge established in this chapter
or who violates any provisions of this chapter for which another penalty
is not imposed shall be subject to a fine or not less than $100 nor
more than $250 or imprisonment for 15 days, or both, for each offense.
A separate offense shall be deemed committed upon each day during
which a violation occurs or is committed.
This chapter shall become effective immediately
upon filing in the office of the Secretary of State.