[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of
the City of Weyauwega 5-21-2001 by Ord. No. 2001-01 as Title 5, Ch. 4
of the 2001 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
This chapter shall be known as the "City of
Weyauwega Alarm Systems Ordinance."
The purpose of this chapter is to provide minimum
standards and regulations applicable to burglar, fire and holdup alarm
systems, alarm businesses 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.
Within this chapter, the following terms, phrases
and words and their derivations have the means given herein:
Any business in which the owners or employees engage in the
activity of altering, installing, leasing, maintaining, repairing,
replacing, selling, or servicing alarm systems.
An assembly of equipment and devices or single device such
as a solid-state unit which plugs directly into a one-hundred-ten-volt
AC line or otherwise receives electrical energy arranged to signal
the presence of a hazard requiring urgent attention and to which the
Police or Fire Department is expected to respond. In this chapter,
the term "alarm system" shall include the terms "automatic holdup
alarm system," "burglar alarm system," and "manual holdup alarm system"
as those terms are hereinafter defined, 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 chapter 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.[1]
The instrumentation of an alarm console at the receiving
terminal of a signal line through which both visual and audible signals
show when an alarm device at a particular location has been activated
or which, in the event of malfunction, may also indicate line trouble.
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 dispatch center of the Police or
Fire Department.
An alarm system which automatically sends over regular telephone
lines by direct connection or otherwise a prerecorded voice message
or coded signal indicating the existence of the emergency situation
that the alarm system is designed to detect.
An alarm system in which the signal transmission is initiated
by the action of the robber.
An alarm system which signals an entry or attempted entry
into the area protected by the system.
An office to which remote alarm and supervisory signaling
devices are connected, where operators supervise the circuits.
An alarm system which has the capability of transmitting
system signals to the Police or Fire Department.
The activation of an alarm system through mechanical failure,
malfunction, improper installation or the negligence of the owner
or lessee of an alarm system or of his employees or agents or other
undetermined cause. "False alarm" does not include alarms caused by
tornadoes or other violent climatic conditions.
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 the activation of the alarm system.
An alarm system in which the signal transmission is initiated
by the direct action of the person attacked or by an observer thereof.
A telephone line leading directly into the dispatch center
of the Police or Fire Department that is for the purpose of handling
emergency calls on a person-to-person basis and which is identified
as such by a specific number included among the emergency numbers
listed in the telephone directory or numbers in sequence therewith.
A person who buys or leases or otherwise obtains an alarm
system and thereafter contracts with or hires an alarm business to
monitor and/or service the alarm system.
The Chief of Police shall promulgate such rules
as may be necessary for the implementation of this chapter. Such rules
shall require the approval of the City Council and shall be open to
inspection by the public.
No person shall interconnect any automatic dialing
device to a Police or Fire Department primary trunk line. No person
shall permit such devices which were installed prior to the effective
date of this chapter to remain interconnected from any property owned
or controlled by that person. Such devices may be connected to a central
station or an answering service. Relaying messages so received to
the Police or Fire Department shall only be done person to person
on the telephone line.
Direct connections to the Police or Fire Department
are prohibited but may be authorized pursuant to the direct connection
policies of each Department, a copy of which is on file with the Chief
of Police and Fire Chief.
A.Â
No alarm business or alarm system designed to transmit
emergency messages to the Police Department shall be tested or demonstrated
without prior notification and approval of the Police Department dispatcher.
Alarm businesses or alarm system owners or lessors will be advised
on proper test procedure.
B.Â
No alarm system relayed through intermediate services
to the Police Department will be tested to determine the Police Department's
response without first notifying the appropriate authority. However,
the Police Department may inspect or test on-site alarm systems authorized
under this chapter.
C.Â
Alarm systems shall be in compliance with all pertinent
response policies of the Police Department.
When the service provided by an alarm business
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.
A.Â
Generally. Each false alarm requires response of public
safety personnel, involves unnecessary expense to the City, increases
the risk of injury to persons or damage to property and dilutes the
overall public safety protection to the City. Such false alarms constitute
a public nuisance and must be abated.
B.Â
Intentional. No person shall intentionally cause the
activation of a burglar/fire alarm device knowing that no criminal
activity, fire or other emergency exists.
C.Â
False alarms; administrative charges.
(1)Â
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 may be required, as determined
by the Chief of Police or Fire Chief, to pay to the City 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:
(b)Â
All false alarms responded to by Fire Department
fire-fighting personnel and apparatus:
[Amended 7-20-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-07]
[1]Â
A false alarm is any signal, message or other
communication transmitted by an alarm system, person or other device,
intentional or unintentional, which causes Fire Department response
and which is determined by the Fire Department not to be of an existing
emergency.
[2]Â
Any person or the user of any private alarm
system initiating a false alarm shall pay the City a fee according
to the following schedule of fees for any false alarm occurring within
any twelve-month period:
[3]Â
There shall be no false alarm fee charged during the thirty-day period
immediately following the installation of the new alarm system.
[4]Â
The Fire Chief, Deputy Chief and/or Assistant Chief of the Weyauwega
Fire Department shall have the authority to recommend waiver of any
false alarm fees due to extraordinary circumstances.
[5]Â
Fees collected shall be forwarded to the Weyauwega Area Fire District
so as to offset operating expenses incurred due to such calls.
(2)Â
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 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 Subsection E 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.
D.Â
Waiver of fee. If a possessor of the alarm shows to the satisfaction of the Chief of Police or the Fire Chief, as applicable, that such false alarm was not the result of negligence or improper maintenance, or other good and sufficient cause beyond the reasonable control of the possessor of the alarm, such fee may be waived and the response shall not count as a false alarm in computing the fee established under Subsection C.
E.Â
Other violations. Any person, corporation or other entity violating this chapter in any manner, other than for collection of unpaid administrative charges treated in the preceding Subsection C of this section, shall be subject to forfeiture as provided in § 1-3 of this Code. When any premises located in the City 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 chapter.
F.Â
Default of payment for forfeiture and/or costs. On default of payment of forfeiture and/or costs under the immediately preceding Subsection C and/or E, 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.
The City of Weyauwega shall be under no duty
or obligation to a subscriber or to any other person concerning any
provision of this chapter, 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 that it is not the
proper function of law enforcement to respond to alarms.