[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Board of the Village of Elm Grove 2-13-1984; amended in its entirety 8-14-2000, effective 1-1-2001. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Emergency management — See Ch. 22.
Fire Department — See Ch. 33.
Emergency medical services — See Ch. 137.
The intent of this chapter is to regulate alarm systems as defined in this chapter in the Village of Elm Grove and to prevent carelessness, improper maintenance or any other cause which results in false police and/or fire and/or emergency medical services (EMS) alarms from privately owned, commercially owned, leased or contracted alarm systems. Such false alarms initiate police, EMS and/or fire personnel and apparatus responses which result in unnecessary expenses to the village, increase the risk of damage to property or injury to persons and dilute the level of police and fire protection available to other areas of the village.
As used in this chapter the following words will have the meanings indicated:
ALARM PERMIT
A permit which must be applied for by any person having control over any property within the Village of Elm Grove at which there is installed any alarm system. A new permit must be applied for whenever such system is upgraded or modified in any way with respect to its operation.
ALARM SYSTEM
An intrusion, fire, burglar, robbery, elevator, or medical emergency alarm system that is designed or utilized to summon a single or combined response by the Elm Grove emergency medical services, Police or Fire Department.
[Amended 12-18-2007]
APPLICANT
Any party having an interest in or property at the premises where an alarm system is installed and who submits the data required by § 91-3 for an alarm permit.
DEPARTMENT
One or all of the following: Fire or Police Department or emergency medical services of the Village of Elm Grove.
FALSE ALARM
A signal from an alarm system resulting in a response by one or more of the Elm Grove Police or Fire Department or emergency medical services when an emergency situation does not exist, regardless of the manner in which the village is alerted to respond.
A. 
Any person having control over any property within the Village of Elm Grove at which there is installed or exists any alarm system shall make an application for an alarm permit as required by the definition of "alarm permit" in § 91-2 by providing information as follows. Such permit shall be issued by the Village Clerk.
(1) 
Name, address and telephone number of party who can be contacted in the event of an emergency or false alarm and who is available upon request of the village within 1/2 hour to provide a key to the premises for which an alarm has been activated for the purposes of inspecting such premises or resetting such alarm system.
(2) 
Identification of party installing the alarm system.
(3) 
Identification of person or firm that can be contacted by the village to report any apparent malfunction in the alarm system.
(4) 
Any other information deemed necessary by the Village Police or Fire Chief for the purpose of providing an appropriate response.
B. 
No information required for an application for alarm permits shall be deemed public information under § 19.31, Wis. Stats., and instead constitutes information whose disclosure would result in a compromise of public safety which is not outweighed by the benefit to the public in disclosure of the same. All information so required shall be maintained in a secured manner by village personnel upon receipt from the Village Clerk.
C. 
There shall be no fee for any application for alarm permit made.
D. 
Each alarm permit application shall provide notice to the applicant that the Village of Elm Grove warrants no higher standard of care in providing any police or fire protection or emergency medical services than is available to persons not having such alarm system.
A. 
Audible alarms. No person, firm or corporation shall use or install an alarm system which upon activation shall emit an audible outside alarm unless such system shall automatically shut off within five minutes after being activated.
B. 
Automatically activated phone dialer. No person or entity shall use, or cause to be used, any telephone or electronic device or attachment that automatically selects either the 911 or other telephone line of the Police Department, Fire Department or any other department of the Village of Elm Grove and then utilizes a prerecorded message to report the burglary, fire or other emergency.
C. 
Non-UL-approved alarms. Any alarm system or major components thereof that are not approved by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) shall not be installed within the Village of Elm Grove after the effective date of this chapter. No application for an alarm permit shall by issued under § 91-3 for any non-UL-approved alarm system.
D. 
Each violation of Subsection A or B shall be subject to the penalty provided in § 91-5.
[Amended 7-26-2005; 12-18-2007]
A. 
Each false alarm that results in the emergency dispatch of any Fire Department personnel, Police Department personnel, or emergency medical services personnel shall be charged a fee per the Village of Elm Grove Fee Schedule, as amended from time to time by the Village Board of Trustees. If the possessor of the alarm can show to the satisfaction of the Police Chief that the false alarm was not the result of negligence, or improper maintenance, such fee may be waived.
[Amended 2-24-2009]
B. 
Violation of § 91-4A, Audible alarms, and § 91-4B, Automatically activated phone dialer, shall result in a fine as listed on the Village of Elm Grove Fee Schedule, as amended from time to time by the Village of Elm Grove Board of Trustees.
C. 
Installation of an alarm system without obtaining a permit shall be punishable according to the fee schedule for alarm violations. A separate offense shall be deemed committed each six-month period which elapses without the procurement of a permit.
D. 
This section shall not be applicable to any publicly owned structure within the Village.