§ 5.08. MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR BURGLAR, FIRE AND HOLDUP ALARMS .

(1)

DECLARATION OF PURPOSE. The purpose of this section is to provide minimum standards and regulations applicable to burglar, fire and holdup alarm systems, alarm business and alarm users. Both society in general and public safety in particular will be aided by providing a useful and usable system of private security which properly balances quick response by law enforcement with minimization of law enforcement time spent on alarms which are false or otherwise not the intended function of private security systems.

(2)

DEFINITIONS. Within this section, the following terms, phrases and words and their derivations have the meaning given below:

Alarm Business. Any business in which the owners or employees engage in the activity of altering, installing, leasing, maintaining, repairing, replacing, selling or servicing alarm systems.

Alarm System. An assembly of equipment and devices or single device such as a solid state unit which plugs directly into 110 volt AC line or otherwise receives electrical energy arranged to signal the presence of a hazard requiring urgent attention and to which the Sheriff's Office is expected to respond. In this section, the term "Alarm System" shall include the terms "Automatic Holdup Alarm Systems", "Burglar Alarm Systems", "Holdup Alarm Systems" and "Manual Holdup Alarm Systems" as those terms are defined below and fire alarm systems which monitor temperature, humidity or any other condition directly related to the detection of fire. Excluded from this definition and from the coverage of this section are alarm systems used to alert or signal persons within the premises in which the alarm system is located of an attempted unauthorized intrusion or holdup attempt or fire.

Annunciator. The instrumentation on an alarm console at the receiving terminal of a signal line which through both visual and audible signals shows when an alarm device at a particular location has been activated or it may also indicate line trouble.

Answering Service. Refers to a telephone answering service providing among its services the service of receiving on a continuous basis through trained employees, emergency signals from alarm systems and thereafter immediately relaying the message by live voice to the Communication Center of the Sheriff's Office.

Automatic Dialing Device. Refers to an alarm system which automatically sends over regular telephone lines, by direct connection or otherwise, a prerecorded voice message or coded signal indicating existence of the emergency situation the alarm system is designed to detect.

Automatic Holdup Alarm System. An alarm system in which signal transmission is initiated by the robber's action.

Burglar Alarm System. Refers to an alarm system which signals an entry or attempted entry into the area protected by the system.

Direct Connect. An alarm system which has the capability of transmitting system signals to and receiving them at an agency maintained by the local government; for example, a sheriff communication center.

False Alarm. Activation of an alarm system through mechanical failure, malfunction, improper installation, or negligence of the owner or lessee of an alarm system or of his employees or agents or other undetermined causes. False alarm does not include alarms caused by hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or other violent climatic conditions.

Holdup Alarm System. Refers to an alarm system signaling a robbery or attempted robbery.

Interconnect. To connect an alarm system to a voice grade telephone line, either directly or through a mechanical device that utilizes a standard telephone, for the purpose of using the telephone line to transmit an emergency message upon activation of the alarm system.

Manual Holdup Alarm System. Refers to an alarm system in which the signal transmission is initiated by the direct action of the person attacked or by an observer of the attack.

Modified Central Station. An office to which remote alarm and supervisory signaling devices are connected, where operators supervise the circuits.

911 Trunkline. A dedicated line between the telephone company central office and the Sheriff's Office for the purpose of receiving emergency telephone calls.

Primary Trunkline. A telephone line leading directly into the Sheriff's Office Communication Center that is for the purpose of handling calls on a person-to-person basis and which is identified as such by a specific telephone number or numbers in sequence.

Subscriber. A person who buys, leases or otherwise obtains an alarm signaling system and thereafter contracts with or hires an alarm business to monitor and service the alarm system.

(3)

ADMINISTRATIVE RULES. The Chief Deputy of the Sheriff's Office shall promulgate such rules as may be necessary for implementation of this section. Such rules shall require the approval of the Judicial and Public Protection Committee and shall be open to inspection by the public.

(4)

AUTOMATIC DIALING DEVICES. No person shall interconnect or program any automatic dialing device to any primary trunkline or 911 trunkline terminated at the Sheriff's Office. No person shall permit such devices, which were installed prior to the effective date of this section, to remain interconnected from any property owned or controlled by that person. Such devices may be interconnected to a modified central station or an answering service. Relaying messages so received to the Sheriff's Office shall only be done person-to-person on the telephone line. The Judicial and Public Protection Committee may approve a direct line installation between a modified central station or an answering service to the Sheriff's Office, with full costs to be borne by the intermediate service.

(5)

DIRECT CONNECTIONS TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. Alarms from premises may be terminated in the Sheriff's Office by direct connect. Such connections must receive individual approval of the Chief Deputy and Judicial and Public Protection Committee. Such connections shall be accomplished in the following manner.

(a)

All connections shall terminate in an annunciator panel.

(b)

Any subscriber or alarm user who obtains authority from the Chief Deputy and the Judicial and Public Protection Committee to terminate its alarm system in the Sheriff's Office may contract with any alarm business of its choice for the sale, installation, maintenance, and servicing of the alarm system to be installed on its premises.

(c)

Alarm subscribers approved for a direct connection to the Sheriff's Office or the alarm business contracting for servicing the subscriber's alarm system shall be responsible for obtaining the leased telephone line between subscriber's premises and the alarm receiving equipment at the Sheriff's Office and for furnishing the appropriate interface equipment, if required, in order to provide an input signal which is compatible with the receiving equipment used to operate the standard annunciator panel.

(d)

The alarm subscriber will provide the Sheriff's Office with the names and telephone numbers of at least 2 other persons who can be reached at any time, day or night, are authorized to respond to an emergency signal transmitted by the automatic alarm device and who can open the premises wherein the device is installed.

(e)

Only burglar, holdup and fire alarms shall be permitted.

(6)

TESTING.

(a)

No alarm system designed to transmit emergency messages directly to the Sheriff's Office shall be tested or demonstrated without first notifying the Office dispatcher. Subscribers will be advised on proper test procedure.

(b)

No alarm system relayed through intermediate services to the Sheriff's Office will be tested to determine Sheriff response without first notifying the Office dispatcher.

(7)

NOTIFICATION. When an alarm business' service to its subscribers is disrupted for any reason by the alarm business or the alarm business becomes aware of such disruption, it shall promptly notify its subscribers by telephone that protection is no longer being provided. If, however, the alarm business has written instructions from its subscriber not to make such notification by telephone during certain hours, the alarm business may comply with such instructions.

(8)

FEE FOR ANSWERING ALARMS. There is hereby imposed a fee for law enforcement response to any alarm resulting from the activation of an alarm system except when law enforcement finds that an unauthorized person is on the premises, was seen on the premises immediately before the alarm was activated or that there is fresh evidence of forceful entry or attempted forceful entry. There shall be no fee for the first response in any calendar year, $15.00 for the second response in any calendar year and $25.00 for the third and all further responses in that calendar year. The fee is inapplicable when the alarm is caused by a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, fire or other violent climatic conditions. This fee is imposed whether the Sheriff's Office receives the alarm by direct connection or through an intermediary such as an answering service or modified central station. If the Chief Deputy is notified of the date of the installation of a new alarm system, the fee imposed by this section is waived for a 90-day period from the date of installation. Failure to pay the fee within 30 days of receipt of the bill shall be grounds for immediate disconnect from the system.

(9)

TERMINATION OF DIRECT CONNECTION. The Chief Deputy with the approval of the Judicial and Public Protection Committee is authorized to require that the owner or lessee of any alarm system directly connected to the office shall disconnect such device until it is working in such a manner as will not produce a high frequency of false alarms. The Chief Deputy and the Judicial and Public Protection Committee shall not require such disconnection unless at least 10 false alarms are received in a 12-month period.

(10)

PENALTIES. Except as otherwise provided, any person found to be in violation of any provision of this section shall be subject to a forfeiture as provided in § 30.04 of this Code of Ordinances.

(11)

PERMIT. New subscribers shall apply for a permit at least 60 days prior to intended date of operation. All subscribers shall renew permits annually during the first month of each year, commencing January 1, 1982. An annual fee per permit will be charged by the County to all subscribers. Failure to pay the fee by February 1 of each year shall be grounds for immediate disconnect from the system without further notice.

(12)

ALARM PANEL. The Chief Deputy, with approval of the Judicial and Public Protection Committee, may select one or more alarm businesses to provide a master alarm panel, at no cost to the County, to be located at the Communication Center. No alarm business shall remove a master alarm panel without 6 months prior notice to its subscribers and the County and the cost of removal shall be borne solely by the alarm business. The alarm business chosen shall permit, through intercompany agreements, other alarm companies to terminate alarms to the master alarm panel.

(13)

COUNTY LIABILITY. The County shall be under no duty or obligation to a subscriber or to any other person concerning any provision of this section, including but not limited to, any defects in an alarm system or any delays in transmission or response to any alarm. However, this in no way shall be construed to mean it is not the proper function of law enforcement to respond to alarms.