[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Orangetown 4-9-1984 by L.L. No. 5, 1984. Amendments noted where applicable.]
This local law shall be known and may be cited as the "Alarm
Systems Law."
The Orangetown Police Department has recorded an extraordinary
number of false burglar and fire alarms emanating from automated devices.
These signals require that police and other emergency services respond
to the false alarm, exposing them to unnecessary hazards and risks,
wasting taxpayer funds and depriving other citizens, who may need
emergency services, of those services. This law is intended to remedy
this waste by regulating alarm systems and reducing the number of
false alarms.
A.Â
ALARM DEVICE
ALARM INDICATOR PANEL
ALARM INSTALLER
ALARM SYSTEM
ALARM USER
CENTRAL ALARM STATION
DIALER ALARM
FALSE ALARM
PERSON
POLICE CHIEF
POLICE OR POLICE DEPARTMENT
TOWN
The following definitions will apply to terms used in this
local law:
Any device which, when activated, transmits a signal to police
headquarters or to a private central alarm station or to the Rockland
County Fire Control Center or produces any audible or visual or telephone
signal to which the Police Department and/or the Fire Department is
expected to respond.
Any device located within the Police Department headquarters
and monitored by employees of the Town of Orangetown which indicates
the status of each direct alarm.
Any person who installs alarms on any premises (except automobiles)
located in the Town of Orangetown.
Any alarm device or combination of alarm devices located
at a specific building, business, structure, residence or address.
[Added 9-23-1985 by L.L. No. 8, 1985]
Any person, business or entity on whose premises an alarm
device is located within the Town of Orangetown.
Any private or commercial entity which receives signals from
alarm devices within the Town of Orangetown and relays information
pertaining to said alarm devices to police headquarters.
A telephone interfaced device that automatically connects
to police headquarters and transmits any signal or impulse indicating
that an alarm system has been activated or an emergency condition
exists within the Town of Orangetown.
The activation of an alarm system which is determined by
responding Police and/or Fire Department personnel not to have been
caused by or as the result of a crime or emergency condition.
Any natural person, firm, business or organization of any
kind.
The Chief of the Police Department of the Town of Orangetown.
The Police Department of the Town of Orangetown.
The Town of Orangetown.
B.Â
Word usage. When not inconsistent with the context, words
used in the plural number indicate the singular number and words in
the singular number shall indicate the plural number. Further, a masculine
pronoun shall include the feminine. The word "shall" is always mandatory
and not merely directory.
Excluded from the provisions of this local law is any alarm
device installed in or on a motor vehicle. Also excluded from the
provisions of this local law is any device designed to alert the occupants
of any building of an emergency condition therein and which does not
produce any audible or visual external signal or internal signal perceptible
from outside the building in question.
A.Â
Every alarm user shall obtain an alarm user permit for
each alarm system he owns, controls or operates within the Town of
Orangetown.
B.Â
Applications for alarm user permits shall include the following
information:
(1)Â
Applicant's name.
(2)Â
Address of protected premises.
(3)Â
Applicant's home and business telephone numbers.
(4)Â
The type of emergency the alarm system is designed to
detect.
(5)Â
The person that sold, installed, responds to and/or maintains
the alarm system.
(6)Â
The names, addresses and telephone numbers of at least
two persons who can be reached at any time to disconnect the system.
C.Â
The alarm user shall notify the Police Department of any
changes in the above information at least two days prior to the change
taking effect. Failure so to do shall provide grounds for revocation
or suspension of the permit.
D.Â
The information contained in the alarm user permit shall
be maintained by the Police Department and its inspection restricted
to those Police Department employees specifically assigned to alarm
system related duties.
E.Â
Any alarm system user who operates an alarm system without
first having obtained an alarm user permit as required herein or after
having had a permit suspended or revoked shall be guilty of a violation
of this local law.
[Amended 9-23-1985 by L.L. No. 8-1985; 5-9-2005 by L.L. No. 11-2005; 11-13-2006 by L.L. No. 18-2006]
A.Â
More than four false alarms in any twelve-month period
from any alarm system for which an alarm user permit has been obtained
will constitute grounds for suspension of said permit.
B.Â
The holder of any alarm user permit charged with a false
alarm as described herein may appeal said charge in writing to the
Chief of Police within seven days of notification of the charge. False
alarm charges may be waived by the Chief of Police after consideration
of said appeal.
C.Â
In addition to the suspension of an alarm user permit, more than four false alarms within any twelve-month period from any alarm system shall constitute a violation of this local law and shall be punishable as set forth in Chapter 41A of the Code.
D.Â
Any person that causes a false alarm at a residential or commercial premises that utilizes an alarm system shall constitute a violation of this section whether or not said person is the owner of the premises or has an alarm user permit and shall be punishable as set forth in Chapter 41A of the Code.
In the event that an alarm user permit has been suspended or
revoked, the alarm user may have the user permit reinstated by forwarding
to the Police Department, in writing, verification that the conditions
causing such false alarms have been repaired, corrected or otherwise
eliminated. Reinstatement shall not affect the false alarm count charged
to any alarm user permit during each calendar year.
A cancellation code will be available through the Police Department
for every alarm user permit. The code will allow the alarm user the
ability to abort any alarm activation. Alarm signals that are promptly
and properly aborted by code will not be charged against the alarm
user permit as a false alarm.
Each alarm system within the Town of Orangetown must be equipped
as follows before an alarm user permit can be issued:
A.Â
The alarm system shall contain an automatic audible signal
cut-off device so that the maximum time any alarm shall cause an externally
audible signal to be emanated does not exceed 30 minutes per activation.
B.Â
The alarm system shall be equipped with a standby power
source sufficient to maintain the system in a state of readiness for
at least six hours in the event of a power failure.
C.Â
Automatic dialer devices, upon a single stimulus, shall
not exceed two separate calls to the Police Department, and no such
call shall exceed one minute in duration. There must be at least a
two-minute interval between calls, with the second call clearly identified
as such.
D.Â
The contents of any recorded message to be transmitted
to the Police Department must be intelligible and in a format approved
by the Chief of Police as appropriate for the type of emergency being
reported.
E.Â
Automatic dialer devices shall be connected to the Police
Department only via telephone numbers designated by the Chief of Police
for this purpose.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 1C-10, Alarm installer
registration, as amended 9-23-1985 by L.L. No. 8, 1985, was repealed
7-18-1994 by L.L. No. 8, 1994.
Within 120 days of the effective date of this local law, every
alarm user shall obtain an alarm user permit and bring every alarm
system into compliance with the requirements of this local law.
[Amended 4-12-2004 by L.L. No. 2-2004]
The Police Department, police officers, the Bureau of Fire Prevention,
the Chief of the Bureau of Fire Prevention, Fire Safety Inspectors,
and/or Assistant Fire Inspectors of the Town of Orangetown shall be
the agencies authorized, empowered and responsible for the enforcement
and administration of this local law.
[Amended 10-16-1995 by L.L. No. 31-1995; 11-13-2006 by L.L. No.
18-2006]
In addition to the suspension or revocation of a license or
permit, a violation of this local law may subject the violator to
the following fines and penalties:
If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section or part of this
local law shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction
to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair or invalidate
the remainder thereof but shall be confined in its operation to the
clause, sentence, paragraph, section or part thereof directly referred
to in said judgment.
This local law shall take effect immediately upon publishing,
posting and upon filing a copy with the Secretary of State as required
by law.