[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Laconia 11-14-2005 by Ord. No. 08.2005.08.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fire prevention and emergency medical services — See Ch. 149.
Noise — See Ch. 167.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance was adopted as Ch. 16,
but was renumbered to fit into the organizational structure of the
Code.
The purpose of this chapter is to reduce needless alarms to
which the Laconia Police Department responds as a result of the activation
of burglar, holdup, and panic alarms that automatically summon the
Police Department either via a central alarm station, the Laconia
Police Department or automatic dialers. It is adopted pursuant to
RSA 47:17.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
An assembly of equipment and devices arranged to signal the
presence of a hazard requiring urgent attention and to which the Police
Department is expected to respond. In this chapter, the term "alarm
system" shall include but not be limited to the terms "automatic holdup
alarm systems," "burglar alarm systems," "holdup alarm systems," "manual
holdup alarm systems," and "audible alarm systems." Alarm systems
which monitor temperature, humidity or any other condition not directly
related to the detection of an unauthorized intrusion into a premises
or any attempted robbery or police emergency condition at a premises
are specifically excluded from the provision of this chapter, as are
alternative alarm systems designed to notify of medical emergencies.
The activation of any alarm system to which the Police Department
responds which is not caused by:
A criminal act or other emergency.
An act of nature, such as an earthquake, tornado or hurricane.
Circumstances occurring off the protected property and not within
the control of either the subscriber, his alarm business or his answering
service.
A person motivated solely by criminal, malicious or mischievous
intent, who is not within the control of the subscriber.
A person who buys and/or leases or otherwise obtains an alarm
system and thereafter installs it or has it installed. The term "subscriber"
shall also mean the property owner or a person who has control of
premises in which an operable alarm system exists.
Effective January 1, 2006, the City of Laconia will charge the
subscriber of an alarm system a fine of $50 for the third emergency
police response to a false alarm, and $100 for each subsequent emergency
police response to a false alarm per calendar year. There shall be
no fine for the first two false alarm responses in any calendar year;
however, a written notice of the first two false alarms shall be forwarded
to the subscriber in the month following each of those false alarms.
The subscriber in receipt of a notice of false alarm or violation
notice/fine may appeal the determination that an alarm was false within
five days of the receipt of the notice by filing an appeals notice
at the office of the Chief of Police. After review of the appeal,
the Chief of Police, or his designee, will make a determination as
to whether or not the circumstances surrounding the false alarm justify
a finding that the alarm was false. If it is determined that a finding
of a false alarm was not justified, and a fine had been imposed upon
the subscriber, the Chief of Police may waive that fine. The subscriber
will be notified in writing as to the results of the appeal.
All fines payable under this chapter will be made to the City
Clerk and will be due and payable within 30 days of the day of notice
or, if appealed, within 30 days of the date of decision on the appeal.
Payments not received within this period will result in the automatic
doubling of the fine.
The Police Department, in conjunction with the City Clerk's
office, will enforce and administer this chapter.
