[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Board of
the Village of Siren 1-8-1988 as Title 3, Ch. 4 of the 1988 Code; amended in its entirety
at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).
Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
This chapter shall be known as the "Village
of Siren 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 shall have the meanings given herein:
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.
A.
Generally. 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.
B.
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.
False alarms; administrative charges. Any person,
business, corporation or other entity having a permissible alarm system
with alarm devices at one or more locations in accordance with this
chapter shall pay to the Village a charge for false alarms responded
to by the Police 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:
D.
Default of payment of forfeiture and/or costs. On default of payment of forfeiture and/or costs under the immediately preceding Subsection C, 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.
The Village of Siren 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.