Each false alarm requires response of public safety personnel,
involves unnecessary expense to the Village, increases the risk of
injury to persons or damage to property and dilutes the overall public
safety protection to the Village. Such false alarms constitute a public
nuisance and must be abated.
No person shall intentionally cause the activation of an alarm
system knowing that no criminal activity, fire or other emergency
exists.
A. Any person, business, corporation or other entity having a permissible
alarm system with alarm device(s) at one or more locations in accordance
with this chapter shall pay to the Departments a charge for false
alarms responded to by the Police or Fire Department according to
the following schedule for each calendar year for each location connected,
separate accounts to be kept for false alarms as to criminal activity
and false alarms for fire or other emergencies. The cost of false
alarms outside of Village limits shall be billed by the Village as
a service of the Departments to the responsible party/parties.
(1) Responded to by Police Department:
(a)
First two false alarms for a location: no charge.
(b)
Third false alarm per location: $75.
(c)
Fourth false alarm per location: $100.
(d)
Fifth false alarm per location: $150.
(e)
Sixth and subsequent false alarms per location: $200.
(2) All false alarms responded to by Fire Department firefighting personnel
and apparatus and/or the ambulance service, in addition to a police
response:
[Amended 9-13-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-2]
(a)
First two false alarms for a location: no charge.
(b)
Third and subsequent false alarms per location: $350.
B. This subsection is intended to impose a strict liability on the person, business, corporation or other entity responsible for alarm connection to either the police alarm panel or to an alarm receiving firm to which the Police or Fire Department has responded and shall be applied regardless of the cause of the false alarm, excepting those alarms excluded from the definition of "false alarm." Failure to pay such administrative charge(s) in and of itself shall constitute a violation of this section, and such charge(s) shall be collectible as a forfeiture upon prosecution and conviction thereof, together with an additional forfeiture(s) which may be imposed under the next §
183-3 hereof for violation of this section for allowing or maintaining a condition(s) or act(s) violative of the intent of this section of eliminating and minimizing the occurrence of false alarms, together with costs of prosecution.
Any person, corporation or other entity violating this chapter in any manner, other than for collection of unpaid administrative charges treated in the preceding §
183-2B of this section, shall be subject to forfeiture as provided in Chapter
1, §
1-4, of this Code. When any premises located in the Village is owned, leased or occupied by two or more persons as joint tenants, tenants in common, joint lessees, or in any other manner, each person shall see that the provisions of this chapter are complied with, and each person may be subjected to a penalty on violation of this section.
On default of payment of forfeiture and/or costs under the immediately preceding §§
183-2B and
183-3, such person or responsible officer of the violating corporation or other entity shall be confined in the county jail until the same are paid, but not to exceed a length of time specified by the court, which length of time shall not exceed six months. Upon nonpayment of the fee, the amount due may be placed on the tax roll as a special charge pursuant to § 66.0627, Wis. Stats.