[HISTORY: Adopted by the Council of the City of Coatesville 10-10-1989
by Ord. No. 845-89 as Ch. 69 of the 1989 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The title of this chapter shall be the "Coatesville Automatic Protection
Device Ordinance."
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
Any device, bell, horn or siren which is attached to the interior
or exterior of a building and emits a warning signal audible outside the building
and designed to attract attention when activated by a criminal act or other
emergency requiring police or firefighters to respond.
Any electronic or mechanical instrument or system composed of sensory
apparatus and related components which automatically transmits any form of
alarm or signal, including but not limited to a prerecorded voice alarm, from
the premises to the Police Department or Fire Department radio network upon
receipt of a stimulus from a sensory apparatus that has detected a physical
force or condition inherently characteristic of intrusion or fire.
Any person, firm or corporation who sells or leases and/or installs
automatic protection devices.
Any signal activated by an automatic protection device, any audible
alarm or any other kind of direct or indirect signal given to the Police or
Fire Departments to which police or firemen respond, which is not the result
of a burglary, fire, robbery or similar emergency.
Use of a telephone or recording equipment to transmit a message or
signal directly or indirectly by an automatic protection device.
B.Â
Automatic protection devices may be keyed to a telephone
or radio which the owner or lessee of the automatic protection device has
available to himself or herself or his or her representative at some other
location, including a central station protective system having trained operators
and guards in attendance at all times to supervise, receive and accept recorded
messages or signals from automatic protection devices and to take appropriate
action upon receipt of a signal or message, including the relaying of messages
to the Chester County police radio network.
A.Â
No automatic protection device shall be installed in
the City of Coatesville without obtaining a permit from the Police Department;
a separate permit shall be required for each separate installation of an automatic
protection device.
C.Â
Registration.
(1)Â
[2]Every automatic protection device supplier who has keyed an automatic
protection device in the City of Coatesville to a police radio network shall
furnish to the Chief of Police a current list of such installations, which
shall include the following information:
(a)Â
The name, address and telephone number of the owner or
lessee.
(b)Â
The name and address where the device is installed and
the telephone number of that address.
(c)Â
The name, address and telephone number of a central station
protection system or any other person or firm who is authorized to respond
to an emergency and gain access to the address where the device is installed.
(d)Â
The name and telephone number of any person, firm or
corporation, if any, other than the alarm equipment supplier who is responsible
for maintenance and repair of the automatic protection device.
(2)Â
By the fifth working day of each month following the submission of the initial list, every automatic protection device supplied shall furnish the Chief of Police with a supplemental list of any additional city installations keyed to the Chester County police radio network, along with any corrections or deletions from previously furnished lists. An automatic protection device supplier who enters into the business after the effective date of this chapter shall furnish a list containing the information specified in § 69-5C(1) by the fifth working day of the month following a first installation and shall thereafter furnish supplemental lists as required by this section.
(3)Â
All information furnished pursuant to these sections
shall be kept confidential and shall be for the use of authorized personnel
of the city only.
A.Â
Operational requirements. Automatic protection devices
installed in the city and keyed to the Chester County police radio network
shall meet the following requirements:
(1)Â
The type and content of recorded messages must be intelligible
and in a format approved prior to the installation by the Chief of Police
and shall include the name of the person or business, the address and the
municipality in which the address is located.
(2)Â
No more than one (1) call shall be made over the police
radio network as a result of a single activation of the automatic protection
device.
(3)Â
The time for transmitting each recorded message shall
not exceed fifteen (15) seconds.
(4)Â
Recorded messages may be repeated during one (1) call,
but the interval between each recorded message shall be no less than eight
(8) seconds nor more than twelve (12) seconds.
(5)Â
The sensory mechanism used in connection with an automatic
protection device must be adjusted to suppress false indications of fire or
intrusion so that the device will not be actuated by impulses due to fleeting
pressure changes in water pipes, short flashes of light, the rattling or vibrations
of doors and window, vibrations to the premises caused by the passing of vehicles
or any other forces not related to genuine alarms.
(6)Â
All components comprising such a device must be maintained
by the owner or lessee in good repair to assure maximum reliability of operation.
B.Â
Technical information. Each automatic protection device
supplier who sells or leases an alarm in the city which is keyed to the Chester
County police radio network shall furnish operating instructions, a circuit
diagram and maintenance manual to the buyer or lessee.
C.Â
Service. Every supplier of automatic protection devices
who sells or leases such devices in the City of Coatesville shall provide
for twenty-four-hour service to repair such devices and correct malfunctions
as they occur. At the time of installation, the supplier of automatic protection
devices shall furnish to any buyer or lessee written information on how to
obtain service at any time, including the telephone number of the supplier
or agent responsible for such service. The owner or lessee and the supplier
of automatic protection devices or the agent providing service shall be responsible
for having the device disconnected immediately after notice of malfunction
until it has been repaired or corrected.
Application for a permit for the installation of an automatic protection
device and subsequent installation of such a device pursuant to a permit issued
or the continuance of the installation of any automatic protection device
already installed at the effective date of this chapter shall constitute consent
by the owner or lessee thereof and authorization for the inspection of any
such installation and/or operation of any such automatic protection device
by the Chief of Police, Code Enforcement Officer or other authorized personnel
of the city, at reasonable times and upon reasonable notice, except in emergency
situations.
The installation of an automatic protection device shall constitute
consent by the owner or lessee thereof and authorization to police or other
emergency personnel to enter upon the owner's or lessee's premises in whatever
manner necessary, including forcible entry, in response to an alarm or signal
from an automatic protection device.
No person shall conduct any tests or demonstrations of an automatic
protection device without prior notice and approval of the Coatesville Police
Department and the Chester County police radio network.
A.Â
The owner or lessee of any automatic protection device,
by the installation thereof or by the continuance of the installation thereof
as to any such device installed at the effective date of this chapter, shall
be deemed to have consented to pay to the city twenty-five dollars ($25.)
for each false alarm after the first such alarm originating from said automatic
protection device in any six-month period.
B.Â
Any owner, lessee or user of an automatic protection device may revoke or refuse to consent as set forth in Subsection A only by disconnecting the automatic protection device.
C.Â
Any police officer responding to an alarm which is determined
to be false shall promptly notify the person in whose name the alarm is registered
of the false alarm.
A.Â
Any person found guilty of misuse, false activation or
repeated accidental activation of an automatic protection device shall, upon
conviction thereof in summary proceedings, be guilty of a first degree misdemeanor
and punishable as provided in 18 Pa.C.S.A § 4905.
B.Â
Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of
this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof in summary proceedings, be punished
by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.) or a period of imprisonment
of not more than ninety (90) days, or both.
