directing the police department not to designate a response to an alarm when false alarms generated from that alarm system have exceeded the number permitted under this ordinance.
H. "Premises" means any building, structure, enclosure, real property, or vehicle.
I. "Verification process" means an independent method of determining that a signal from an automatic alarm system reflects a need for immediate police assistance or investigation. The verification process must be conducted by the alarm system monitoring personnel and may not take more than five minutes, calculated from the time the alarm signal has been accepted by the alarm system monitoring personnel until a decision is made whether to call for a police dispatch.
SMC 10.07.012 Alarm System Registration
A. No person may have or maintain on any premises, except a vehicle, an alarm system unless the alarm system user has registered the alarm system with the police department. A separate registration is required for each alarm site. The police department shall be authorized to charge a nominal registration fee as set forth by the department’s rules and regulations under SMC 10.07.015(A). The information on the registration will be available to notify the emergency dispatching offices of the names and telephone numbers of the alarm system user and of the individuals authorized to enter such premises and turn off the alarm.
B. If the alarm system user has the premises monitored by an alarm system monitoring personnel, the name, contact person and twenty-four hour telephone number of the personnel shall be listed on the registration form.
C. The individual or individuals authorized to enter the premises and to turn off the alarm will be responsible to respond at all times to the police or fire department’s request to come to the premises and turn off the alarm system within a reasonable time after being notified. Failure to respond in a timely and reasonable fashion to deactivate the alarm will be grounds for a non-response.
SMC 10.07.013 Automatic Calling Device Prohibited.
No person may use or operate, or attempt to use or operate, or cause to be used or operated, or arrange, adjust, program, or otherwise provide or install any device or combination of devices that will upon activation, either mechanically, electronically, or by any other automatic means, initiate a telephonic or recorded message to the 9-1-1 emergency telephone number, or to any telephone number assigned or any additional telephone numbers assigned to the City police or fire department.
SMC 10.07.014 Penalties.
A. Criminal Penalty.
A violation of subsections 10.07.010 A through C, inclusive, is a misdemeanor.
B. First Response.
Upon the first two false alarms from an alarm system, the police department shall send a notice to the alarm system user informing the user of the time and location of the false alarm, the nature of the response and the requirements of this ordinance.
C. Civil Infraction.
1. Each false alarm after the first two from the same alarm system within a one-year period is a civil infraction and subjects the alarm system user to the penalty provided in Section 1.05.160.
2. The failure of an alarm system monitoring company to comply with the requirements of the verification process is a civil infraction and subjects the company to the penalty provided in Section 1.05.170.
D. Seventh Violation.
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MODEL STATES REPORT
Best Practices in Reducing False Dispatches |
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