[HISTORY: Adopted by the Representative Town
Meeting of the Town of Fairfield 3-28-1994. Amendments noted where applicable.]
A.
The purpose of this Alarms Chapter is to encourage
security alarm users to maintain the operational reliability and the
proper use of alarm systems in limiting unnecessary responses to false
alarms.
B.
This chapter governs burglary, robbery and alarm systems,
provides penalties for violators and establishes a system of administration.
A.
When not inconsistent with the context, words used
in the present tense include the future, words used in the plural
number include the singular number, and vice versa. The word "shall"
is always mandatory and not merely directory.
B.
ALARM ADMINISTRATOR
ALARM OWNER/USER
ALARM (MONITORING) STATION
ALARM SYSTEMS
AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE DIALING ALARM
FALSE ALARM
KEY HOLDER
For the purpose of this chapter, the following terms,
phrases, words and their derivations shall have the meanings given
herein:
A person or persons designated by the Chief of Police to
administer, control and review false alarm notifications.
Any person, firm, corporation or other business entity who
or which controls, operates or maintains any alarm system.
An office to which remote alarm devices transmit signals
where operators monitor those signals and relay information to the
Police Department.
An assembly of equipment and devices, or a single device,
arranged to signal the presence of a hazard requiring urgent attention
and to which Police Department personnel are expected to respond.
Excluded from this definition are smoke detectors, alarm systems on
motor vehicles and boats and alarm systems which signal the presence
of a fire.
[Amended 1-28-2019]
An alarm system which automatically sends over regular telephone
lines a prerecorded voice message or coded signal indicating the existence
of an emergency situation the alarm system is designed to detect.
The activation of an alarm system to which the Police Department
responds and which is not caused by a criminal act or other emergency.
This does not include the activation of an alarm by circumstances
normally attributed to extreme weather conditions or a prolonged power
outage of four hours or more.[1]
Any person holding the key or keys necessary to gain ingress
to and egress from the site of the alarm system by permission of the
alarm owner/user.
[1]
Editor’s Note: The definition of “fiscal year,”
which immediately followed was repealed 1-28-2019.
B.
No alarm system shall be installed unless a permit
has been obtained from the Town of Fairfield Building Official or
his designated representative, as is required by the Building and
Electrical Codes of the State of Connecticut.
C.
All alarm monitoring stations are responsible for
contacting key holders. This shall not be the responsibility of the
Town of Fairfield or its agents.
Automatic dialing services coming directly into
the communications center of the Police Department are prohibited
in the Town of Fairfield.
A.
Except as otherwise provided by law, no alarm system
which produces an exterior audible sound shall be installed unless
its operation is automatically deactivated after no more than 15 minutes
of operation.
B.
Within 60 days from the effective date of this chapter,
preexisting alarm systems which produce audible sound shall be retrofitted
so that they are automatically deactivated after no more than 15 minutes
of operation.
A.
All alarm systems installed after the effective date
of this chapter shall have their own auxiliary rechargeable power
source that meets or exceeds Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc., standards
of at least four hours' duration, which shall be maintained in good
working order.
B.
Within 60 days from the effective date of the chapter,
preexisting alarms shall be retrofitted to have an auxiliary rechargeable
power source that meets or exceeds Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc.,
standards of at least four hours' backup power.
[Amended 1-28-2019]
A.
It shall be the responsibility of the Police Department
to monitor and keep records of the alarms received. In order to discourage
false alarms, the following schedule shall be set forth: after two
false alarms in the course of a one-year period, measured from the
date of the first false alarm, a letter will be sent to said alarm
owner/user informing the alarm owner/user that any further issuance
of false alarms will incur a penalty and warning the alarm owner/user
that the alarm system should be inspected and the Police Department
notified of corrective action taken.
B.
A Fairfield Police Department alarm report copy will
be issued upon each response to alarmed premises and will suffice
as notification of alarm activation.
C.
For the third false alarm in the course of a one-year
period, measured from the date of the first alarm, the alarm owner/user
shall be fined $50.
D.
For the fourth false alarm in the course of a one-year
period, measured from the date of the first alarm, the alarm owner/user
shall be fined $75 per false alarm.
E.
For the fifth false alarms in the course of a one-year
period, measured from the date of the first false alarm, the alarm
owner/user shall be fined $100.
F.
For the sixth false alarm in the course of a one-year period, measured
from the date of the first false alarm, the alarm owner/user shall
be fined $125.
G.
If the alarm owner/user causes more than seven false alarms in the
course of a one-year period, measured from the date of the first false
alarm, the alarm owner/user shall be fined $150 for the seventh false
alarm and each subsequent false alarm that occurs during the course
of that one-year period.
H.
Failure to pay any such charges within 30 days shall
constitute a violation of this chapter, and the alarm owner/user is
subject to an additional fine of $125.
I.
A thirty-day grace period will be granted for all
newly installed burglary alarm systems. During that time, no penalty
shall be assessed. Additional time may be granted by the Chief (or
designee). The grace period begins on the date the newly installed
alarm is inspected and approved by the Town of Fairfield Building
Department.
A.
No person shall knowingly or intentionally activate
any alarm system when no police emergency exists. Any person who violates
this subsection shall be fined $125 and, when applicable, may be additionally
subject to prosecution under the Connecticut General Statutes for
falsely reporting an incident.
[Amended 1-28-2019]
B.
No person shall knowingly or intentionally test, repair,
adjust, alter or perform maintenance on an alarm system, or cause
the same to be tested, repaired, adjusted, altered or maintained,
if such action results in a false alarm, without first notifying the
Police Department and/or monitoring company of such test, repair,
adjustment, alteration or maintenance. When there is a reasonable
need to consider public safety, the Chief (or designee) may restrict
or refuse to permit the testing, repair, adjustment, alteration or
maintenance.
A.
Whenever a charge for a false alarm is imposed against
the alarm owner/user, said alarm owner/user may, within 30 days of
imposition, appeal the charge by filing a written notice of appeal
with the Alarm Administrator. A hearing shall be scheduled within
20 days of receipt of the appeal.
B.
This hearing shall be conducted by a hearing officer(s).
Hearing officers are to be appointed by and to serve at the pleasure
of the First Selectman. All hearings shall be conducted in accordance
with the provisions of the Connecticut General Statutes, Section 7-152c,
as amended.
[Amended 1-28-2019]
In addition to the other penalties specifically
provided in this chapter, any person who performs or causes to be
performed any of the following acts shall be subject to a penalty
not to exceed $125 for each such act.
A.
Fines may be paid at police headquarters during business
hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or through the mail. (Payment by mail
should be made by check or money order only; no cash.)[1]
[1]
Editor’s Note: Former Subsection B, which set forth
a time during which data on alarms was available, was repealed 1-28-2019.
A.
If any person fails to pay within 30 days any fine
or charge imposed, interest shall accrue at the highest rate allowed
by law.
B.
If, after a period of three months, an alarm owner/user
fails to pay any fine/charges, the matter will be turned over to the
Town Attorney for any legal action necessary for collection. The alarm
owner/user will be responsible for legal/court fees.
A.
The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to
alarm devices owned and operated by the Town or one of its departments
or agencies, including the Board of Education, the State of Connecticut
or the United States of America, nor to alarm devices installed in
motor vehicles or boats, unless said motor vehicles or boats are used
as dwellings or businesses.
B.
The department head having control over the building
owned by the Town of Fairfield or one of its agencies, the State of
Connecticut or the United States Government shall receive notification
of false alarms so that corrective measures may be taken to avoid
future unnecessary dispatches.
Except as expressly provided herein, the Town,
its departments, officers, agents and employees shall be under no
obligation whatsoever concerning the adequacy, operation or maintenance
of any alarm system or central monitoring station. No liability whatsoever
is assumed for the failure of such alarm systems or central monitoring
station or for failure to respond to alarms or for any other act or
omission in connection with such alarm systems. Each alarm owner/user
shall be deemed to hold and save harmless the Town, its departments,
officers, agents and employees from liability in connection with the
alarm owner/user's alarm device.
[Added 1-28-2019]
All alarm owner/users shall be required to register their alarm
system with the Alarm Administrator on an annual basis by March 1
of each calendar year. Any failure to register an alarm system in
accordance with this section shall constitute a violation of this
section and may be punishable by a fine of $100.
