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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1983-1413 - Ordinance - 02/24/1983ORDINANCE NO. 1413 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY CHAPTER 4, SECTION 8 OF THE STATION, TEXAS OF COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS AMENDING CODE OF ORDINANCES, CITY OF COLLEGE BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS That Chapter 4, Section 8 of the Code of Ordinances, City of College Station, Texas is hereby amended to read as follows~ ALARM SYSTEMS A. Definitions 1. Alarm Agent shall mean any individual employed by an aIarm business whose duties include altering, installing, maintaining, moving, repairing, replacing, selling, servicing, responding to, or monitoring an alarm system. It shall also mean any person employed or otherwise associated with an alarm business who has access to confidential information relating to a customer or subscriber of such alarm business which could be used to compromise or defeat an alarm system· Central Station means any premise, usually maintained by an alarm company, equipped to receive and displace signals from any type alarms. The term "Alarm User" shall mean any person or whose premises an alarm system is maintained except for alarm systems on motor vehicles. The term "Subscriber" shall mean a person or business which buys or otherwise obtains an alarm system and has a contract with an alarm business to monitor and/or service the alarm system. 5. Home Alarm means any alarm device or system which is connected to a residence. Hold-up Alarm means any type alarm system or device designated to be actuated by the Alarm User or Subscriber in the event of a hold-up or robbery. Dial Alarm means any alarm or device which automatically selects a telephone line connected to O~DINANCE NO. 1413 PAGE 2 Se police headquarters and reproduces a pre-recorded message to report a criminal instrusion or other emergency requiring police response. Chief of Police means the Chief of the College Station Pol~ Department or his designated representative. 9. City means the City of College Station, Texas. 10. False Alarm shall mean the activation of an alarm system or device through mechanical failure, malfunction, improper installation, or the negligence of the owner or leasee of an alarm system or device or of his employees or agents. Such terminology does not include, for example, alarms cuased by hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or other violent conditions. 11. Person means any individual, corportation or organization. B. Alarm Business License Ce No person shall conduct an alarm business in the City of College Station unless they are licensed by the State of Texas under the provisions of the Private Investigators and Private Security Agencies Act. Records Every new subscriber of an alarm system or device within the City of College Station shall supply the Chief of Police with the names of three persons having access to and control over the building or area protected by an alarm system or device. The subscriber shall update such information within three days after any such person is no longer available or entitled to enter and exercise control over the premises. Any person so listed shall come to the scene of an alarm activation within 30 minutes of being notified by the alarm agent or the College Station Police Department. D. Alarm_~stem Standards 1. Power S__upply Any alarm system which necessitates response by a law enforcement agency or is a public alarm, shall be provided with standby power to automatically maintain the system in a normal condition for a period of 4 hours in the event of the interruption of the primary power source. This does not apply where the central O~INANCE NO. l~13 PAGE 3 monitoring equipment produces a distinctive signal indicating power failure at the protected premises and a police response is not required. The City shall be entitled to inspect any installation for standby power supply function during regular business hours. E. Maintenance All alarm systems shall be subject to repair or correction no later than the end of the business day following the day on which the user or alarm agent receives notification of the need for such service. Each installation shall be thoroughly inspected once each year. A copy of the inspection shall be sent to the Chief of Police by tghe Alarm Agent on a yearly basis. The Police Chief or his delegate may require more frequent inspection. F. Mechanical Malfunctions Whenever two false alarms have been received within a one month period by the police department, it shall be the responsibility of the alarm agent to inspect and repair the alarms. The alarm agent shall send a copy of the inspection to the Chief of Police. G. Dial Alarm Receivin~ E~ui~ment After the enactment of this section, no automatic protection devices known as dial alarms or dialers, will be installed and keyed to any police emergency trunk line, used by the police to receive emergency requests or used to provide the public with information. Within sixty (60) days after the effective date of this section, all automatic protection devices known as dialers or dial alarms that were connected to a police emergency number or to a line used by the police to give the general public information, shall be disconnected from such number or line. The owner or lessee of any such device so connected shall be responsible for the disconnection of said device, and obtaining from the City of College Station Police Department the necessary instructions. H. Testing of Equipment No person shall conduct any test or demonstration of a police alarm device or system in the City of College Station without first obtaining permission from the Chief of Police. Permission to conduct such test of a police alarm device or system shall not be necessary when the alarm device is connected to an intermediary receiver and O~DINANCE NO. 1413 PAGE 4 not relayed to police headquarters, and precaution has been taken to insure that such test will not cause police response or alarm to the general public. I. Penalties Violation of any subsection of this ordinance shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed two hundred dollars ($200.00). The knowing failure of an alarm agent to inspect or repair an alarm where required herein is an offense hereunder. Each day during which such failure continues shall constitute a separate offense. e The intentional installation or maintenace of an alarm not in accordance with the requirements of this ordinance is an offense hereunder. e It is an offense to knowingly or recklessly fail to supply information as required by 8-C Section It is an offense to knowingly or recklessly fail to attend upon the scene of an alarm activation within the time period set forth herein after actual notice has been given to the person designated to enter and control any premises. J. Cost of Maintenance and Response Any alarm user which originates more than 5 false alarms in any one year, or more than 1 false alarm in any one month shall pay the average cost of police response to such excessive alarms, as calculated by the Director of Finance, such cost shall include personnel time for all officers involved in response and vehicle cost for 1/2 hour for each vehicle involved. II. Should any section, paragraph, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this ordinance be declared unconstitutional or invalid for any purpose, the remainder of this ordinance shall not be affected thereby. III. Ail ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are repealed to the extent of the conflict only. IV. And, it is ordained that this ordinance shall become O~DINANCE NO. 1413 PAGE 5 effective from and after its passage and publication in accordance with the city charter of the City of College Station. PASSED AND APPROVED THIS 24th DAY OF F~brua~y , 1983. ATTEST: DIAN JONES/,/' CITY SECRETARY GARY HA~AYOR