Village of Nyack, NY Chapter 123 Alarm Systems

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Nyack 2-14-1991 by L.L. No. 2-1991 (Ch. 4 of the 1972 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 123-1 Title.

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Alarms Systems Law."

§ 123-2 Legislative intent.

False burglar and fire alarms emanating from automated devices require that police and other emergency services respond to the false alarm, exposing them to unnecessary hazards and risks, wasting taxpayer funds and depriving other citizens, who may need emergency services, of those services. This chapter is intended to remedy this waste by regulating alarm systems and reducing the number of false alarms. This chapter is also consistent with the Alarm Systems Law enforced by the Orangetown Police Department in other portions of the Town of Orangetown.

§ 123-3 Definitions and word usage.

A. The following definitions will apply to terms used in this chapter:

ALARM DEVICE

Any device which, when activated, transmits a signal to police headquarters or to a private central alarm station or to the Rockland County Fire Control Center or produces any audible or visual or telephone signal to which the Police Department and/or Fire Department is expected to respond.

ALARM INDICATOR PANEL

Any device located within the Police Department headquarters and monitored by employees of the Town of Orangetown which indicates the status of each direct alarm.

ALARM INSTALLER

Any person who installs alarms on any premises (except automobiles) located in the Village of Nyack.

ALARM SYSTEM

Any alarm device or combination of alarm devices located at a specific building, business, structure, residence or address.

ALARM USER

Any person, business or entity on whose premises an alarm device is located within the Village of Nyack.

CENTRAL ALARM STATION

Any private or commercial entity which receives signals from alarm devices within the Village of Nyack and relays information pertaining to said alarm devices to police headquarters or offices.

DIALER ALARM

A telephone-interfaced device that automatically connects to police headquarters or offices and transmits any signal or impulse indicating that an alarm system has been activated or an emergency condition exists within the Village of Nyack.

FALSE ALARM

The activation of an alarm system which is determined by responding Police and/or Fire Department personnel not to have been caused by or as the result of a crime or emergency condition.

PERSON

Any natural person, firm, business or organization of any kind.

POLICE CHIEF

The Chief of the Police Department of the Town of Orangetown.

POLICE or POLICE DEPARTMENT

The Police Department of the Town of Orangetown.

TOWN

The Town of Orangetown.

VILLAGE

The Village of Nyack.

B. Word usage. When not inconsistent with the context, words used in the plural number indicate the singular number, and words in the singular number shall indicate the plural number. Further, a masculine pronoun shall include the feminine. The word "shall" is always mandatory and not merely directory.

§ 123-4 Exceptions.

Excluded from the provisions of this chapter is any alarm device installed in or on a motor vehicle. Also excluded from the provisions of this chapter is any device designed to alert the occupants of any building of an emergency condition therein and which does not produce any audible or visual external signal or internal signal perceptible from outside the building in question.

§ 123-5 Alarm user permit required.

A. Every alarm user shall obtain an alarm user permit for each alarm system he owns, controls or operates within the Village.

B. Applications for alarm user permits shall include the following information:

(1) The applicant's name.

(2) The address of the protected premises.

(3) The applicant's home and business telephone numbers.

(4) The type of emergency the alarm system is designed to detect.

(5) The person who sold, installed, responds to and/or maintains the alarm system.

(6) The names, addresses and telephone numbers of at least two persons who can be reached at any time to disconnect the system.

C. The alarm user shall notify the Police Department of any changes in the above information at least two days prior to the change taking effect. Failure to do so shall provide grounds for revocation or suspension of the permit.

D. The information contained in the alarm user permit shall be maintained by the Police Department and its inspection restricted to those Police Department employees specifically assigned to alarm-system-related duties.

E. Any alarm system user who operates an alarm system without first having obtained an alarm user permit as required herein or after having had a permit suspended or revoked shall be guilty of a violation of this chapter.

§ 123-6 Suspension or revocation of permit.

A. More than four false alarms in any twelve-month period from any alarm system for which an alarm user permit has been obtained will constitute grounds for suspension of said permit.

B. The holder of any alarm user permit charged with a false alarm as described herein may appeal said charge in writing, to the Chief of Police within seven days of notification of the charge. False alarm charges may be waived by the Chief of Police after consideration of said appeal.

C. In addition to the suspension of an alarm user permit, more than four false alarms within any twelve-month period from any alarm system shall constitute a violation of this chapter.

§ 123-7 Reinstatement of alarm user permits.

In the event that an alarm user permit has been suspended or revoked, the alarm user may have the user permit reinstated by forwarding to the Police Department, in writing, verification that the conditions causing such false alarms have been repaired, corrected or otherwise eliminated. Reinstatement shall not affect the false alarm count charged to any alarm user permit during each calendar year.

§ 123-8 Cancellation codes.

A cancellation code will be available through the Police Department for every alarm user permit. The code will allow the alarm user the ability to abort any alarm activation. Alarm signals that are promptly and properly aborted by the code will not be charged against the alarm user permit as a false alarm.

§ 123-9 Minimum requirements.

Each alarm system within the Village must be equipped as follows before an alarm user permit can be issued:

A. The alarm system shall contain an automatic audible signal cut-off device so that the maximum time any alarm shall cause an externally audible signal to be emanated does not exceed 30 minutes per activation.

B. The alarm system shall be equipped with a standby power source sufficient to maintain the system in a state of readiness for at least six hours in the event of a power failure.

C. Automatic dialer devices, upon a single stimulus, shall not exceed two separate calls to the Police Department, and no such call shall exceed one minute in duration. There must be at least a two-minute interval between calls, with the second call clearly identified as such.

D. The contents of any recorded message to be transmitted to the Police Department must be intelligible and in a format approved by the Chief of Police as appropriate for the type of emergency being reported.

E. Automatic dialer devices shall be connected to the Police Department only via telephone numbers designated by the Chief of Police for this purpose.

§ 123-10 Registration of alarm installations.

A. One hundred twenty days after this chapter has become effective, no person shall install, repair, maintain or service an alarm (unless said installation is for his personal use) without first registering with the Police Department.

B. Such registration shall be on forms provided by the Police Department and shall include the person's name, firm name, address, telephone number, criminal record (if any) and Rockland County Consumer Protection Board license number. If such person is a corporation, the information required shall be set forth for the principals of the corporation.

C. A violation of this section of this chapter shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $100 for the first offense and $250 for each subsequent offense.

§ 123-11 Time limit for compliance.

Within 120 days of the effective date of this chapter, every alarm user shall obtain an alarm user permit and bring every alarm system into compliance with the requirements of this chapter.

§ 123-12 Administration and enforcement.

The Police Department of the Town of Orangetown shall be the agency responsible for the enforcement and administration of this chapter.

§ 123-13 Penalties for offenses.

In addition to the suspension or revocation of a license or permit, a violation of this chapter may subject the violator to the following fines and penalties:

A. Alarm users.

(1) Operating or maintaining an alarm system without an alarm user permit: a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $100.

(2) Operating or maintaining an alarm system after an alarm user permit has been suspended or revoked; not less than $50 nor more than $100.

B. A violation of any other section of this chapter for which no penalty has been prescribed may subject the violator to a fine of not more than $100.