[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Jamestown 12-10-1990. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Police Department — See Ch. 65.
Fire prevention — See Ch. 140.
Licenses and permits — See Ch. 175.
It is the purpose and intent of this chapter to protect and promote the health, safety and general welfare of the residents of the City of Jamestown by reducing the number of avoidable alarms to the City's 911 Emergency Operations Center. Avoidable alarms contribute to ineffective utilization of public safety personnel and equipment. In addition, avoidable alarms require emergency responses which may contribute to the potential of accidents and delayed responses to genuine emergencies. This chapter intends to assure that police and fire communications and facilities will be available to dispatch police and fire personnel for actual emergencies and to alleviate the nuisance of avoidable alarms within the City of Jamestown. Additionally, this chapter is intended to provide the City of Jamestown with the names of responsible individuals to contact in case of activation of an alarm.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ALARM SYSTEM
A device or an assembly of equipment which emits an audible response which is intended to alert persons outside of premises to the existence of a hazard or emergency or which is intended to alert emergency agencies by automatically dialing an emergency agency or which is connected to a private answering point for the purpose of reporting such alarms to emergency agencies or which is directly connected to the 911 Emergency Operations Center of the City of Jamestown or other emergency agency.
ALARM USER
Any person who owns, leases or uses an alarm system within the City of Jamestown, except for a person whose alarm system is on a motor vehicle or is a proprietary system; provided, however, that if an alarm system on a motor vehicle is connected with an alarm system at a premises (other than a proprietary system) in the City of Jamestown, the person using such system is an alarm user.
AVOIDABLE ALARM
The activation of an alarm system through mechanical failure, malfunction, improper installation or the negligence of the owner, user, custodian or lessee of an alarm system or of his employees or agents or through any other cause which is a direct connection to an emergency agency or which through notification of the emergency by a private answering point or automatic dialing service, or a Fire Department alarm system or which through notification to an emergency agency by a second party or means indicates that an emergency situation exists requiring a response within the City of Jamestown when, in fact, an emergency situation does not exist. An avoidable alarm also includes the knowing or intentional activation of an alarm to an emergency agency when the activator knows an emergency situation does not exist. Avoidable alarms shall not include alarms activated by violent conditions of nature such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or other similar causes beyond the control of the user of an alarm system. Activation of an alarm system under any circumstances when the activator reasonably believes that an emergency situation exists shall not be deemed an avoidable alarm. Anything herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding, the defective installation of an alarm system, the failure to repair or cause to be repaired an alarm system or the use of defective equipment in connection with an alarm system shall not constitute extraordinary circumstances beyond the reasonable control of the alarm user.
EMERGENCY AGENCY
The Police Department and Fire Department of the City of Jamestown.
LOCAL ALARM SYSTEM
A signaling system which when activated causes an audible signaling device to be activated outside the premises within which the system is installed.
NOTICE ADDRESS
The address which an alarm user designates on the application for a permit and the address to which notices are to be sent.
PERSON
Any person, firm, partnership, corporation, association, company or organization of any kind.
PRIVATE ANSWERING POINT
A business which offers the service of receiving emergency signals, monitoring said signals and relaying them to an emergency agency.
PROPRIETARY SYSTEM
An alarm sounding and/or recording within the premises protected by the alarm which is not intended to alert persons outside the premises on which the alarm system is located of a possible hazard and not intended to alert an emergency agency, the control center being under the supervision of the proprietor of the protected premises. If the proprietary system includes a signal line connected directly to or by means of an automatic device through an emergency agency or to a private answering point or to a local alarm system, it shall be deemed an alarm system as such is defined in this chapter.
The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to proprietary systems. Permits shall be required for all alarm systems located at buildings at federal, state or local governmental agencies or authorities or at public or private schools; provided, however, that such alarm systems shall be exempt from the permit fees, but subject to the fines and penalties herein provided for avoidable alarms and, where applicable, to the master box fire alarm fee of the Fire Department.
No person shall own, use, lease, operate or maintain an alarm system within the City of Jamestown, nor shall any person cause an alarm system to be connected directly to the 911 Emergency Operations Center of the City of Jamestown, unless such person shall have first obtained from the City a permit for such alarm as herein provided.
A. 
In order to obtain an alarm user permit, any person who operates an alarm system shall submit an application for such permit to the Jamestown City Clerk/Treasurer in the form designated by the City of Jamestown, which application shall contain the following:
[Amended 2-10-2006 by L.L. No. 2-2006; 8-28-2017; 11-25-2019 by L.L. No. 1-2020]
(1) 
The name, home address and telephone number of the person applying.
(2) 
The address of the premises upon which the alarm system is or will be located.
(3) 
The address to which notice is required under this chapter shall be sent.
(4) 
The type of alarm system for which a permit is sought.
(5) 
The name of the alarm business or businesses selling, installing, monitoring, inspecting, responding to and/or maintaining the alarm system, if applicable.
(6) 
The name, address and telephone number of one or more persons who can be reached at any time and who are authorized by the owner of the premises in which the system is installed to open the premises and secure the alarm.
(7) 
Any other information relating to the alarm system or user as the City of Jamestown may from time to time require.
B. 
The information required on the permit application shall be treated as confidential and shall not be made available to members of the general public. The Jamestown City Council Council finds that the release of such information would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy and could possibly endanger the life or safety of persons and premises wherein an alarm system is located. Accordingly, the information on a permit application shall be used by the City of Jamestown for public safety purposes only and shall be used for no other purpose whatsoever.
A. 
Except as provided in § 89-3 of this chapter, every application for an alarm user permit for alarm systems connected directly to the 911 Emergency Operations Center of the City of Jamestown shall be accompanied by a permit fee as provided in Chapter 175, Licenses and Permits. In addition to such permit fee, alarm users connected to the master box fire alarm system of the Fire Department shall pay an additional fee as provided in Chapter 175, Licenses and Permits, which shall be separate from the permit fee herein provided. Applications for alarm user permits for all other alarm systems shall be accompanied by a permit fee as provided in Chapter 175, Licenses and Permits. With the exception of the master box fire alarm fee, anything herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding, no permit fee shall be required for applications submitted by any alarm user on or before January 31, 1991, nor for applications submitted after said date if the application is submitted prior to the installation of an alarm system.
[Amended 8-10-1992 by L.L. No. 2-1992]
B. 
Upon receipt of a properly executed permit application and permit fee, the Jamestown City Clerk/Treasurer shall issue an alarm user permit to the applicant.
[Amended 2-10-2006 by L.L. No. 2-2006; 8-28-2017; 11-25-2019 by L.L. No. 1-2020]
C. 
The alarm user permit shall not be transferable and shall be kept on the premises where the alarm system is located and made available for inspection by emergency agency officers.
An alarm user permit shall expire on December 31 next following its date of issuance.
A. 
Subject to the provisions of this chapter and upon the payment of the appropriate renewal fee as provided in Subsection B hereof, an alarm user permit may be renewed by the alarm user.
B. 
The annual permit renewal fee shall be based upon the number of avoidable alarms recorded for each alarm user as follows:
[Amended 1-25-1993; 12-21-2005; 11-23-2009; 11-27-2012]
(1) 
For all alarm users with zero to two avoidable alarms during the preceding permit year, no renewal fee shall be charged. The provisions herein shall not be deemed to exempt alarm users connected to the master box fire alarm system of the Jamestown Fire Department with zero avoidable alarms from the annual master box fire alarm fee of $225.
(2) 
For all alarm users with three avoidable alarms during the preceding year, a base permit renewal fee of $75 shall be charged.
(3) 
For all alarm users with more than three avoidable alarms during the preceding year, a base permit fee of $75, plus an additional excessive use fee for each avoidable alarm in excess of three shall be charged as follows: for the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh avoidable alarms, $75 each; for the eighth, ninth and 10th avoidable alarms, $125 each; for the 11th, 12th and 13th avoidable alarms, $150 each; and for every avoidable alarm after the 13th, $175 each. At the time of renewal, an alarm user shall receive credit for any amounts paid during the permit year to reinstate a revoked permit.
C. 
No renewal of a permit shall be granted unless the appropriate renewal fee is submitted with the application.
[Amended 2-10-2006 by L.L. No. 2-2006; 8-28-2017; 11-25-2019 by L.L. No. 1-2020]
The Jamestown City Clerk/Treasurer shall notify an alarm user, in writing, by means of first-class mail sent to the notice address listed on the permit application when an alarm user has had seven avoidable alarms during the permit year. The notice shall inform the alarm user that additional avoidable alarms will subject the alarm user to the excessive-use fee as specified in this chapter for each additional avoidable alarm. At the end of the permit year, the City Clerk/Treasurer shall notify each alarm user having more than seven avoidable alarms of the number of avoidable alarms incurred during the preceding year and the amount to be charged for the renewal of the alarm user permit. Notice shall be in writing and shall be sent by first-class mail to the notice address listed on the application.
[Amended 2-10-2006 by L.L. No. 2-2006; 8-28-2017; 11-25-2019 by L.L. No. 1-2020]
An alarm user permit shall be revoked whenever 10 or more avoidable alarms are recorded for a system in any one permit year. Notice of such revocation shall be sent by the Jamestown City Clerk/Treasurer via first-class mail to the notice address listed on the permit application at least 15 days prior to the effective date of permit revocation. An alarm user may reinstate a revoked permit by the payment of the excessive-use fee for each avoidable alarm in excess of three (the excessive-use fee shall be as specified in § 89-8B of this chapter) and by submission of proof that modifications have been made to the alarm system or other steps have been effected so as to reduce the number of avoidable alarms. An alarm user permit shall not be revoked under this section if said alarm system is required by federal, state or local law; provided, however, that all other provisions of this chapter shall apply to such systems, and the user thereof shall remain responsible for the payment of all authorized fees.
[Amended 3-19-1992 by L.L. No. 1-1992; 12-11-1995 by L.L. No. 6-1995; 2-10-2006 by L.L. No. 2-2006; 8-28-2017; 11-25-2019 by L.L. No. 1-2020]
Whenever an emergency agency responds to an avoidable alarm as herein provided, said agency shall file with the Jamestown City Clerk/Treasurer an avoidable alarm report, which report shall contain the following information:
A. 
The alarm user's name and address.
B. 
The date and location of the avoidable alarm.
C. 
The reasons why the alarm was determined to be an avoidable alarm.
D. 
Any other pertinent information.
A. 
All local alarm systems as defined by the provisions of § 89-2 of this chapter shall become deactivated and silenced automatically after a period of time not to exceed 15 minutes of activation.
B. 
Any person utilizing the local alarm system within the City of Jamestown by virtue of such utilization of a local alarm shall be deemed to have given consent to the police and/or fire officials of the City of Jamestown to disable an audible alarm signal that has not been silenced prior to the expiration of the fifteen-minute period referred to in Subsection A of this section, and neither the City of Jamestown nor its officers and employees, including but not limited to such police and fire officials, shall be liable for any damages which may result from the disabling of an audible alarm signal as herein provided.
[Amended 11-23-2009]
In addition to any other fees or penalties provided for in this chapter, a violation of § 89-4 of this chapter shall be deemed an offense and shall be punishable by a mandatory fine of not less than $100 nor more than $250; provided, however, that no person shall be charged with such offense until the expiration of 15 days after the date of written notice mailed to such person by certified mail that he is required to obtain an alarm user permit, and further provided that no charge shall be filed against a person so notified if he obtains a permit during said fifteen-day period. A person found guilty of violating § 89-4 of this chapter shall not be excused from obtaining the required permit.
The provisions and requirements of this chapter shall apply to all persons who are alarm users on the effective date of this chapter and to all persons who subsequently become alarm users.