Village of East Troy, WI Chapter 181 Alarm Systems

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Board of the Village of East Troy 4-3-2000 by Ord. No. 2000-2 as Title 5, Ch. 4, of the 2000 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 181-1 Purpose.

The purpose of this chapter is to establish regulations, standards and controls relating to the use and installation of police alarm devices, monitored by a private alarm company or any other person, firm or corporation, and to minimize false alarms.

§ 181-2 Definitions.

As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings specified below:

ALARM BUSINESS

Any person engaged in selling, leasing, renting, installing, monitoring, servicing, altering, moving or causing any alarm system to be sold, leased, rented, installed, monitored, serviced or altered in or on any building, place of business, structure, residence or other facility. Excluded from this definition are sellers of alarm systems from a retail or wholesale store, who do not visit the site where the alarm system is to be installed, or design the system for the location, or install, monitor, service or alter any existing alarm systems.

FALSE ALARM

A signal from an alarm system resulting in a response by the personnel of the Police or Fire Department, when an emergency situation or unlawful situation does not exist.

POLICE ALARM

Any device which, when activated by a criminal act or other emergency requiring police response, transmits a signal to a central alarm system or produces an audible or visible signal designed to notify persons within audible or visual range of the signal.

§ 181-3 False alarms.

A. The user of any private alarm system shall not allow false alarms to be received by the Police or Fire Department. The fines for false alarms occurring during the calendar year are:[1]

(1) One to three false alarms per calendar year: no charge.

(2) Four to six false alarms per calendar year: $25 per occurrence.

(3) Seven or more false alarms per calendar year: $100 per occurrence.

[1] Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).

B. The user of a private alarm shall be considered to be the manager or supervisor responsible for the premises in the case of a business or the owner in the case of a private premises.

C. A two-week grace period from penalties will be given for false alarms produced in regard to the installation of a new private alarm system.

D. False alarm violations may be waived if weather is the cause for alarm activation.

E. Failure to remit the required fine for police response to a false alarm within 30 days of billing may result in the false alarm fine being added to the property tax bill.[2]

[2] Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).

§ 181-4 Repair of malfunction or design error.

Any alarm business which has received notification from the owner/lessee of the property or the Police Department of a malfunction or design error in the alarm system shall repair the malfunction or design error within three working days from the date of notification. False alarms relating to the malfunction which are received after the three-day working repair time period shall be considered a violation of this chapter, and fines will be imposed against the alarm business per § 181-3.

§ 181-5 Audible or visual alarm systems.

Any person who maintains an audible or visual alarm on premises shall be subject to the provisions of this chapter under the same conditions as central alarm systems.

§ 181-6 Intentional false alarm.

No person shall intentionally cause the activation of a police alarm device, knowing that no crime or emergency exists.

§ 181-7 Audible police alarms.

No person shall sell, use or install a police alarm which, upon activation, emits a sound the same as or similar to emergency vehicle sirens or civil defense sirens. All audible sirens must be able to reset themselves after 15 minutes of operation.

§ 181-8 Alarm system key holders.

Any business or private residence having a police or fire alarm system shall designate a person who will have access to the property and be knowledgeable of the system. The owner/lessee of the property shall register with the Police Department the designated person's name, address and telephone number. The registered person will be required to respond if request is made by Police Department personnel.

§ 181-9 Violations and penalties.

Any person convicted of a violation of this chapter shall be subject to penalties as defined in § 1-4 of this Code.