The purpose of this Article is to provide regulations
and standards applicable to alarm devices, alarm businesses and alarm
users, as defined in this Article, to reduce the number of false alarms
and to encourage the installation and maintenance of reliable alarm
devices.
For the purpose of this Article, the following
definitions shall apply:
ALARM AGENT
Any person who is employed by any business defined as an
alarm business by this section.
ALARM BUSINESS
Any business, firm, corporation or other commercial entity
which is in the business of owning, monitoring, maintaining, installing,
leasing or selling an alarm device or system of alarm devices.
ALARM DEVICE
Any device which is designed to transmit an alarm signal
when activated by a criminal or unauthorized act, or by smoke, fire
or other emergency requiring Police or Fire Department response.
ALARM INSTALLATION
Any burglar or fire device, or aggregation of such devices
installed on or within the general location of a building or building
located on a common site.
ALARM USER
Any person, corporation or partnership, etc., on whose premises
an alarm device is owned, operated, used or maintained.
AUTOMATIC DIALER
A telephone device that automatically selects a telephone
line connected to a central alarm station.
CENTRAL ALARM STATION
Any facility operated by a private firm which is manned by
operators who receive, record or validate alarm signals and relay
information about such validated signals to Police or Fire Headquarters,
when appropriate.
FALSE ALARM
Any alarm, audible or communicated to a central alarm station,
resulting from the activation of an alarm device to which the Police
or Fire Department responds or is expected to respond, which is not
the result of an unauthorized act, robbery, burglary or other crime,
fire or emergency.
MANUAL ALARM DEVICE
Any alarm device in which activation of the alarm signal
is initiated by the direct action of the alarm user.
The failure of any person, natural or corporate, to register as required by §
36-3 or perform or obey any provisions of this Article constitutes a violation punishable by a fine of up to $100 for each such violation.
Any person who shall intentionally tamper with,
destroy or compromise any alarm or alarm device shall be guilty of
a Class A misdemeanor.
No person shall use or cause or permit the use
of any alarm device that automatically selects a direct telephone
line of the Police or Fire Department of the Town of Pound Ridge and
then reproduces any prerecorded voice messages to report any robbery,
burglary, fire or other emergency.
It shall be a violation of this Article to intentionally cause a false alarm, and any person who does intentionally cause a false alarm shall be subject to the penalty provisions in §
36-4.
Any owner or lessees of property having an alarm
device on their premises shall pay to the Town a fine for each and
every false alarm to which the Police or Fire Department responds
in each calendar year as follows:
A. First false alarm each year: $25.
B. Second false alarm in any twelve-month period: $50.
C. Third and subsequent false alarms: $100.
D. Notwithstanding the fines provided for in Subsections
A,
B and
C above, the administrative and enforcement agents of the Town may, for good cause shown, waive the issuance of a citation requesting the imposition of any fine otherwise provided for under this law.
[Added 3-12-1987 by L.L. No. 1-1987]
[Amended 3-12-1987 by L.L. No. 1-1987]
The Town Board shall designate the Chief of
Police of the Town of Pound Ridge and the Fire Inspector of the Town
of Pound Ridge and their respective designees to administer and enforce
the provisions of this Article.
The repeal of the previous Town ordinance by
this Article shall not affect rights nor liabilities which have previously
arisen thereunder, nor shall the provisions of this Article apply
to or govern the construction or punishment of any offense committed
prior to its effective date.