[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village
of Sleepy Hollow 8-11-1980 by L.L. No. 6-1980 (Ch. 3 of the 1965
Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
The purpose of this chapter is to establish standards and controls
of various types of intrusion, holdup, fire alarm and other emergency
signals from alarm devices that require Police Department or Fire
Department responses for investigation, action and safeguarding of
property at the location of an event which is reported by a signal
transmitted by telephone, leased wire, radio or in any other way relayed
to the Police Department or Fire Department by an alarm device requiring
investigation or other action by any person acting in response to
a signal actuated by an alarm device, including such devices already
in use within the Village.
For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall
apply:
Any mechanism, equipment or device which is designed to operate,
automatically or manually, to transmit an audible or visible signal,
message or warning from one place to another location.
Any signal actuated through an alarm system to which the
Police Department or Fire Department responds which is not the result
of a holdup, robbery or other crime, fire or other emergency.
The Fire Department of the Village of Sleepy Hollow.
A permit obtained on a form supplied by the Village Clerk
of the Village of Sleepy Hollow and approved by either the Police
Chief of the Police Department or the Fire Chief of the Fire Department
of the Village of Sleepy Hollow.
The Police Department of the Village of Sleepy Hollow.
No person, firm, partnership or corporation shall operate or
maintain an alarm system which automatically transmits a signal, message
or warning to the Fire Department or Police Department without first
obtaining a permit for the same as required by this chapter.
A.
Application for a permit to install, maintain or operate an alarm system which is intended to automatically transmit a signal, message or warning by an audible or visible signal to the Police Department or Fire Department shall be filed with the Village Clerk on forms supplied by the Village Clerk, together with an application fee to be established and determined by the Board of Trustees from time to time and set forth in the fee schedule included at the end of Chapter 200, Fees. Said application shall set forth the name and address and telephone number of the installer of the system and the company that maintains the alarm if different than the installer and the owner, lessee or user of the premises where the alarm system will be installed.
[Amended 8-16-1994 by L.L. No. 11-1994]
B.
The Chief of either the Police Department or the Fire Department
shall, upon receiving the application from the Village Clerk, immediately
cause an inspection to be made of the premises described in the application
and the locations where the alarm system will be installed and shall
approve the application if he finds that:
(1)
The use of said alarm system to transmit a signal, message or warning
to either the Police Department or the Fire Department will not interfere
with the orderly conduct of Village, Police or Fire Department business.
(2)
The person, firm or corporation installing the system maintains an
adequate service organization to repair, maintain and otherwise service
said alarm systems sold or leased by said installation service.
(3)
The applicant on whose premises the alarm system is to be installed
and the installer of the alarm system agree to install said system
in either the Police Department or Fire Department in such a manner
and in locations designated by the Chief of the Police Department
or Chief of the Fire Department.
The Chief of either the Police Department or the Fire Department
shall have the right to inspect any alarm system prior to issuance
of the permit for its operation and may cause an inspection of such
system to be made at any time after issuance of a permit to determine
whether it is being used in conformity of the terms of the permit
and the provisions of this chapter.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original § 3-6 of the 1965 Code,
Compliance date, which immediately followed this section, was repealed
1-22-2013 by L.L. No. 1-2013.
[Amended 1-5-1981 by L.L. No. 1-1981; 8-16-1994 by L.L. No. 11-1994]
The annual permit fees for the alarm system shall be as follows:
A.
Business location: to be established and determined by the Board of Trustees from time to time and set forth in the fee schedule included at the end of Chapter 200, Fees.
B.
Private home: to be established and determined by the Board of Trustees from time to time and set forth in the fee schedule included at the end of Chapter 200, Fees.
C.
Church or school: no charge.
No alarm system shall be connected to either the Police Department
or Fire Department for which an application by permit is not on file
with the Village Clerk and which has not been approved by either the
Police Chief or the Fire Chief.
[Amended 3-16-1994 by L.L. No. 4-1994; 1-22-2013 by L.L. No. 1-2013]
It shall be a violation of this chapter to cause or permit a
false alarm to be made, and any person who causes or permits to be
made such false alarm shall be subject to the penalty provision of
this chapter.
[Amended 1-5-1981 by L.L. No. 1-1981; 3-16-1994 by L.L. No. 4-1994]
A.
Any owner or lessee of property having an alarm device or system
of devices on his or its premises and any user of any services or
equipment furnished pursuant to this chapter shall pay to the Village
of Sleepy Hollow, upon demand, a charge for each and every false alarm,
as defined within this chapter, to which Police Department or Fire
Department personnel respond in each calendar year as follows:
[Amended 1-22-2013 by L.L. No. 1-2013]
B.
More than five false alarms in any calendar year may constitute grounds
for the suspension or revocation of an alarm user's permit. Any
alarm user charged with a false alarm penalty as prescribed herein
may appeal such charge or penalty, in writing, within 10 days after
receipt of the notice of such penalty and may appear before the Mayor
and Board of Trustees at a place and time selected by the Board. False
alarm penalties or charges may be waived only by order of the Mayor
and Board of Trustees. Failure to pay a false alarm charge or penalty
as prescribed shall subject such alarm user to the suspension or revocation
of his/her alarm user permit, as determined by the Mayor and Board
of Trustees.
A.
Automatic cutoff systems.
[Amended 1-22-2013 by L.L. No. 1-2013]
(1)
Requirement of cutoff system. No person shall install or maintain
in any building, structure or establishment in the Village of Sleepy
Hollow an external audible alarm of any type which does not also contain
an automatic cutoff system or feature automatically cutting off the
source of power to the alarm after it has sounded for a period of
no longer than 15 minutes.
(2)
Penalties.
(a)
Any person who violates this section shall be subject to a fine
of up to $250. Each day on which an alarm remains in nonconformity
with this section shall be deemed a separate violation.
(b)
The owner and the occupant of any building, structure and establishment
shall each be responsible for the conformity with this section of
any alarm located on or in premises owned or occupied by him.
B.
The installation and maintenance of the alarm system permitted by
this chapter, including the connections to locations designated by
the Police Chief or Fire Chief, shall be made at no cost to the Village.
The owner, lessee or user shall be responsible for the maintenance
and service of his or its alarm device equipment and shall be responsible
for all malfunctions of his or its equipment. If it is necessary to
change the location within the area designated by the Police Chief
or Fire Chief to another location designated by the Police Chief or
Fire Chief, the Village shall not be responsible for any expenses
incurred by the owner, lessee or user of the alarm system for reconnecting
said alarm system.
The Police Chief or the Fire Chief may revoke any permit issued
pursuant to the provisions of this chapter after giving written notice
to the holder of the permit and an opportunity for the holder of the
permit to be heard by the Board of Trustees, if the Police Chief or
the Fire Chief determines that the alarm system installed pursuant
to said permit has been installed, maintained or operated in violation
of the provisions of this chapter or any term or condition contained
in said permit or for failure to pay the annual permit fee as specified
in this chapter.
[Amended 1-22-2013 by L.L. No. 1-2013]
Any person, firm or corporation who or which does not pay any
charge or fee established in this chapter or who or which violates
any provision of this chapter shall be subject to a fine in an amount
which shall not be in excess of $250 for each offense. A separate
offense shall be deemed committed upon each day during which a violation
occurs or is committed.