[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Amityville 12-14-2009 by L.L. No. 22-2009.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Editor's Note: This local law provided that it shall take effect on January 2, 2010, subject to acceptance and filing by the Secretary of State.
The purpose of this chapter is as follows:
A. 
To promote the safety and welfare of the citizens of the Village of Amityville minimizing, to the fullest extent practicable, the number of false burglary and fire alarms.
B. 
To increase the efficiency and safety of the Amityville Police Department, other law enforcement agencies and the Amityville Fire Department in executing their duties by reducing, to the fullest extent practicable, the number of false alarms.
The Amityville Board of Trustees, after due deliberation, makes the following findings:
A. 
The overwhelming majority of burglary alarm calls are due either to faulty alarms or to the accidental setting off of the alarm by the owner or the user of the alarm system or device.
B. 
Approximately 500 false alarms have occurred on an annual basis in the last several years, resulting in an unconscionable and an unnecessary waste of man-hours and taxpayer expense.
C. 
The high incidence of alarm systems or devices emitting a false alarm poses a clear danger to the safety and well-being of the citizens of the Village of Amityville.
D. 
Any alarm system, as defined herein, emitting a false alarm which automatically and directly dials any emergency phone number is very prone to be activated by electrical current failures or other events having no connection with criminal activity and tie up such emergency phones, making them unavailable to receive genuine emergency calls.
E. 
Any alarm device or system emitting a false call or alarm is hereby declared to be a public nuisance and threat to the safety, security and well-being of the citizens of the Village of Amityville.
F. 
Any alarm system or device emitting a false alarm seriously disrupts law enforcement operations, undermines law enforcement efficiency and seriously impairs the ability of law enforcement personnel to respond to legitimate emergency situations.
G. 
Any alarm system or device emitting a false fire alarm seriously endangers the well-being of Amityville Fire Department personnel and seriously impairs the ability of Fire Department personnel to respond to legitimate emergency situations.
For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply:
ALARM OWNER
Any person who owns, leases, rents, uses or makes available for use by his agents, employees, representatives or family any alarm system.
ALARM SYSTEM
Any device, system or instrument, whether known as a burglary, robbery or intrusion alarm, direct-dial telephone device, audible or silent, or by any other name, which is designed or maintained or intended to detect an unauthorized entry into any building, structure or facility or to signal the commission of an unlawful act or any other emergency. Any device installed by a telephone company to protect telephone company systems which might be damaged or disrupted by the use of an alarm system is not included in this definition.
AUDIBLE ALARM
An alarm system designated to notify persons in the immediate vicinity of the protected premises by emission of an audible sound of an unauthorized entry on the premises or of the commission of an unlawful act or emergency condition.
DIRECT-DIAL SERVICE
An alarm system which is connected to a telephone line and, upon activation of an alarm system, automatically dials a predetermined telephone number and transmits a message or signal indicating the need for emergency response by any law enforcement agency or Fire Department. Such "direct-dial service" connected to the phone of a neighbor, friend, owner, central office or answering service is not affected by this chapter.
FALSE ALARM
An alarm signal activated by causes or events other than the commission or attempted commission of an unlawful act or emergency, for which the alarm system is designated to detect. An alarm signal activated by violent or unusual conditions of nature or other extraordinary circumstances not subject to the control of the alarm owner shall not constitute a "false alarm."
A. 
It shall be unlawful and a violation of this chapter for an alarm owner to use an alarm system which is equipped with a functioning direct-dial service which, when activated, automatically dials a number in the Amityville Police Village Headquarters.
B. 
It shall be unlawful and a violation of this chapter for an alarm owner to use an existing audible alarm after September 15, 1981, unless it is designed to terminate its operation or to automatically reset within 30 minutes of its being activated.
C. 
No audible alarm may be installed in any building or structure unless it is installed and designed to terminate its operation or to automatically reset within 30 minutes of its being activated. For every audible alarm installed or existing in a commercial structure, the owner thereof may post a coded sticker, to be obtained from the local police precinct upon voluntary registration with such precinct for police identification only. Such posting shall be visible to the general public outside the building in which the alarm is contained.
D. 
An alarm owner shall not operate an alarm system which emits more than three false alarms in any six-month period.[1]
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Editor's Note: Former § 36-5, Penalties for offenses, which immediately followed this section, was repealed 1-24-2011 by L.L. No. 1-2011.