[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Board of the Village of
Brandon 12-14-1998 as Title 5, Ch. 4, of the 1998 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
This chapter shall be known as the "Village of Brandon 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 meaning 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 110-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]
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 Village Board 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
C.
False alarms; administrative charges.
(1)
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 shall pay to the Department 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. The cost of false alarms outside
of Village limits shall be billed by the Village as a service of the
Department to the responsible party.
(2)
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 an alarm receiving firm for false alarms 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 the next Subsection D hereof for violation of this section for allowing or maintaining the 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.[2]
D.
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 § 1-4 of this Code. When any premises located in the Village 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.
E.
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 D, 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 forfeiture and costs, the amount due may be placed on the tax roll as a special charge pursuant to § 66.0627, Wis. Stats.[3]
The Village of Brandon 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.
B.
Interior alarms. A permit under this chapter is not required for
an alarm system which gives a signal, visual or audible or both, solely
within the interior of the building in which it is located.
C.
Issuing authority. The Police Chief shall issue the permits and collect
the fees.
D.
Application. Application for permit required under this chapter shall
be filed with the Police Chief. The Police Chief shall prescribe the
form of the application and request such information as is necessary
to evaluate and act upon the permit application. The Police Chief
shall deny a permit if the alarm system for which it is sought does
not comply with this chapter.
A.
Hearing. Before a permit issued pursuant to this chapter may be revoked,
a hearing shall be held before the Police Chief. Notice setting forth
the time, place and nature of the hearing shall be sent by mail or
delivered to the permittee at the address shown on the permit application
not less than seven days prior to the hearing.
B.
C.
Appeals. Any permittee may appeal the decision of the Police Chief
by filing a written notice of appeal with the Police Chief within
10 days after the decision. Such appeal shall be heard by the Village
Board within 30 days after filing the appeal. The Village Board may
affirm, amend or reverse the decision or take other action deemed
appropriate. An appeal timely taken suspends the revocation until
the Village Board gives its decision. The Police Chief shall give
written notice of the time and place of the hearing to the appellant
by certified mail or personal delivery not less than seven days before
the hearing. In conducting the hearing, the Village Board shall not
be limited by the technical rules of evidence.
