Rio Dell Municipal Code Art. I Purpose, Definitions And Exemptions

The immediate preservation of the public safety, health, and welfare required the adoption of this chapter. The public has purchased alarm systems which have malfunctioned, causing an increase in the false alarm reports which require an immediate response of emergency service units subjecting the general public to a dangerous situation.

(Ord. 402, 2024)

For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meaning respectively ascribed to them by this section:

"Alarm agent"

means any person who is employed by an alarm business operator, either directly or indirectly, who does not respond to activated alarms but whose duties include any of the following: selling, maintaining, leasing, servicing, repairing, altering, installing, replacing, or moving on or in any building, structure or facility, any alarm system.

"Alarm business"

means the business of any person consisting of selling and installing, maintaining, servicing, altering, replacing, or moving any alarm system or component parts thereof in or on any building, structure, or facility, or responding to alarm systems.

"Alarm business operator"

means any person who operates any business engaged in the sale and installation, maintenance, alteration, or servicing of the alarm systems, or which responds to such alarm systems. "Alarm business operator" shall not include a business that merely sells from a fixed location or manufactures alarm systems, unless such business services, installs, monitors, or responds to alarm systems at protected premises.

"Alarm system"

means any mechanical or electrical device designed to detect, or enable a person to notify others of, an unauthorized intrusion onto certain premises or the existence of an emergency on such premises, and which emits a sound or transmits a signal or message when activated. The following devices shall not constitute alarm systems within the meaning of this subsection:

(a)

Devices which do not register alarms that are audible, visible, or perceptible outside the protected premises;

(b)

Devices which are not installed, operated or used for the purpose of reporting an emergency to the police;

(c)

Alarm devices affixed to motor vehicles; and

(d)

Alarm devices installed on a temporary basis by the police department.

"Answering service"

means a telephone answering service providing among its services the receiving on a continuous basis through trained employees of emergency signals from alarm systems, and the subsequent immediate relaying of said messages by live voice to the communication center.

"Audible alarm"

means any alarm system which, when activated, emits a sound which is capable of being heard outside the structure where the system is located, even if the system is completely located within the structure.

"Automatic dialing device"

means an alarm system which automatically sends over regular telephone lines, by direct connection or otherwise, a prerecorded voice message indicating the existence of the emergency situation that the alarm system is designed to detect.

"Central station"

means an office to which alarm systems are connected, where operators supervise the circuits, and where guards and/or servicemen are maintained continuously to investigate signals.

"Direct line"

means a telephone line leading directly from a central station to the communication center, where said line is used only to report emergency signals on a person-to-person basis.

"Duress alarm"

means a silent alarm system signal generated by the entry of a designated code into an arming station in order to signal that the alarm user is being forced to turn off the system and requests law enforcement response.

"Emergency"

means the commission or attempted commission of a robbery or burglary.

"Enhanced call confirmation"

means an attempt by the alarm system monitoring company to contact the alarm site and/or alarm user, to determine whether an alarm event is valid before requesting law enforcement response. A second call will be made to contact the alarm user if the first attempt fails, except:

(a)

As defined by ANSI/CSAA CS-V-01-2016 or current version, in case of a fire, panic or robbery-in-progress alarm or verified alarm; or

(b)

As defined by the local jurisdiction or State law.

"False alarm"

means an alarm signal that prompts a response by the Rio Dell Police Department when an emergency does not exist:

(a)

Alarms generated by severe storms, earthquakes, or other violent acts of nature when an emergency does not exist shall not be deemed a false alarm.

(b)

Alarm users may intentionally activate alarms only when necessary to alert police regarding human life in imminent jeopardy or in response to armed robberies, burglaries, or other felonies occurring on alarmed premises at the time of such intentional alarm activation. All other alarm activations shall be deemed false alarms.

(c)

Alarm users, or alarm companies authorized by alarm users, may notify the Rio Dell Police Department by telephone after it is determined that a mechanical problem exists in the alarm system, that any alarm from said alarm is to be deemed a false alarm, and no response from the Rio Dell Police Department is necessary:

(i)

There is no evidence of a crime or other activity that warrants the assistance of the Rio Dell Police Department on the premises, as indicated by the investigation of a police officer on the scene or by the lack of a police report filed by the property owner, and no individual who was on or near the premises or who had viewed a video communication from the premises called for dispatch or confirmed a need for police response; or

(ii)

The dispatch of police was canceled by the alarm system monitoring company, whether the alarm was canceled before or after the arrival of police personnel at the alarm site.

"Hold-up alarm"

means activation of an alarm system or alarm device that notifies Rio Dell Police Department that the alarm site is being held up.

"Interconnect"

means to connect an alarm system to a 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.

"Intrusion alarm"

means an alarm whose purpose is to detect entry or attempted entry into a structure or a defined area, whether interior or exterior in nature.

Late Application Fee.

If the Police or Fire Department responds to the alarm activation without having an alarm permit on file, the permit holder is subject to a late alarm application fee for the first false alarm activation and shall be subject to the normal false alarm assessments for the second and subsequent false activations. (See the City of Rio Dell's Master Fee Schedule for specific fee and assessment amounts.)

"Panic alarm"

means any alarm system that is activated by the direct action of the person who believes they are or are about to be the victim of a crime requesting the emergency response of police officers.

"Penalty assessment"

means the civil penalty against the permit holder in the form of a letter or bill for the misuse or false activation of any alarm.

"Permittee"

means the person to whom an alarm system permit is issued.

"Person"

means any natural person, partnership, corporation, unincorporated association, or other business entity.

"Private medical lifeline alarm"

means any alarm system which is activated by a person needing emergency medical/welfare assistance and/or the alarm monitoring company requests an emergency medical response because the alarm subscriber did not respond to a regularly scheduled "well person" check.

"Residential"

means any premises used as dwelling units, which includes apartments, hotels, motels and lodging houses, whether or not the location is occupied.

"Response"

means the point in time that a police unit has been dispatched or an engine company has moved the fire apparatus to respond to an alarm activation.

"Robbery/hold-up"

means any alarm system that is activated by the direct action of the person being robbed or an observer of the robbery.

"Silent alarm"

means any alarm system which, when activated, transmits an alarm signal to a receiving center without obvious local indication of alarm activation.

"Siren"

means any audible noise similar to that which must be sounded by an authorized emergency vehicle under the conditions set forth in Section 21055 of the California Vehicle Code.

"Verify"

means an attempt by the monitoring company, or its representative, to contact the alarm site and/or alarm user by telephone and/or other electronic means, whether or not actual contact with a person is made, to attempt to determine whether an alarm signal is valid before requesting police or fire dispatch, in an attempt to avoid an unnecessary alarm dispatch request. For the purpose of this chapter, telephone verification shall require, as a minimum, that a second call be made to a different number if the first attempt fails to reach an alarm user who can properly identify themselves to attempt to determine whether an alarm signal is valid before requesting law enforcement dispatch.

(Ord. 402, 2024)

This chapter shall not apply to alarm systems affixed to automobiles, boats, or recreational vehicles or systems which do not require a response by the Rio Dell Police Department. However, in systems other than those affixed to automobiles, boats, or recreation vehicles, if any person requests a response by the Rio Dell Police Department, that alarm system will be brought within the permit requirements from that time forward.

(Ord. 402, 2024)