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HomeMy WebLinkAbout38.105 ORDINANCE NO. 38.105 AN ORDINANCE QF THE CITY OF SARATOGA ADDING A NEW ARTICLE II TO CHAPTER 10 OF THE SARATOGA MUNICIPAL CODE, REGULATING THE INSTALLATION, OPERATION AND MISUSE OF POLICE ALA~4 SYSTEMS ~D DEVICES, AND IMPOSING A SERVICE CHARGE.FOR- I'~~ THE MISUSE THEREOF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SARATOGA does ordain as follows: SECTION 1: Article II is hereby added to Chapter 10 of the saratoga City Code, to read as follows: ARTICLE II. REGULATION OF POLICE ALARM (BURGLAR ALARM) SYSTEM AND DEVICES. Section 10.31. Purposej The purpose of this article is to set forth regulations. governing police alarm systems and devices used within the City of Saratoga, and to establish service charges to be assessed in the event of~repeated false alarms. Section 10.32. Definitions. For the purpose of this article, certain words and phrases shall be construed herein as set forth in this section, unless it is apparent from the context that a different meaning is intended. A. F&lse Alarm. False alarm means a police alarm syste~ activated through inadvertence, negligence, or malfunction of any segment of the alarm system, to which-personnel of the police service servingsthe City of Sarat6ga must~respond, in circumstances where no police emergency as herein defined exists. B. Notice. Notice'means written notice, given by personal service to the addressee, or given by the United States mail, postage prepaid, addressed to the person to be notified at his last known address. Service of such notice shall be effective upon the~completion of. personal service, or upon the placing of said notice into the custody of the United State~ Postal Service. C~- Premises. Premises shall be those buildings, structures, vehicles, or other facilities to be protected by a police alarm system, and shall not include smaller or discrete subdivisions within such buildings, structures or facilities. D. Police Alarm Systems.' Police alarm systems means any mechanical or electrical device which is designated or used for the detection or warning of unauthorized entry into a building, structure, orfacilityl or for alerting others of the commission of an unlawful act within a building, structure, or facility, or both, and which emits a sound or transmits a signa~ or message when actuated. Aiarm Systems include but are not limited to direct-dial telephone devices, audible alarms, and proprietor alarms. Devices which are not designated or usedto register alarms perceptible from outside of the pro- tected building,* structure, or facility are excluded fro~ this d~finition, as are auxiliary devices installed to protect the telephone system from damage or disruption by the use of an alarm system. E. Police Emergency. Police emergency means the unauthorized violent breaking, and/or entering, damaging or burglary of a building, structure, vehicle, or other facility, or the commission of a violent act likely to produce imme- diate bodily harm, or an attempt or serious threatlof any of the acts described herein. F. Owner. Owner means the person actually responsibl~ fo~ the operations and maintenance of the premises In which the police alarm system is installed or located. Owner includes but is not limited to lessees, tenants, or other agents of the legal owner of said premises, provided that such agents had actual control of and responsibility for the operations of the premises at the time of.any false alarm. Section 10.33. Reporting Service Informationj Each' person owning or operating an alarm system within the city limits of the City of Saratoga shall file an information card w~th the Office of the Sheriff, Santa Clara County, containing that person's name, address, and telephone number, as well as the name, address and telephone number of a person or persons who can render service to the alarm within one hour after being called at any hour of the day or night. Section 10.34. Outside Audible Alarm Requirements. Every person maintaining an outside audible alarm shall post a notice containing the name and telephone numbers of the persons to be notified in order to render repairs and servicelor secure the premises during any hour of the day or night in the event that the alarm Ks actuated. Such notice shall be posted near the alarm in such a position as ~o be legible from the ground level adjacent to the building where the alarm is located. The wording "police alarm - call Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department".shall be placed on the gong covers or immediat~l~ below such alarm device. It shall be unlawful to install or use a police alarm system which upon activa~ionl emits a sound ~imilar to sirens in use-on p~biic emergency vehicles o~ for public disaster warning purposes. All local exterior bell, gongs, or ot~er noise making devices or pulsa~ ting lights shall have a timing device that will silence or turn off such devices or lights within five (5) minutes following initial activiation. ~Section 10.35. Automatic Telephone Connections to Communications Center Prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to use, cause to be used, or engage in the business of providing, any telephone device or attachment which auto- matcially seleC~s'a'publicprimary telephone trunk line of the Santa Clara County communications center, and then emits a prerecorded message, for the purpose of reporting any police emergency/fire, or other emergency. Section 10.36. ~xemptionsj The provisions of this article, with the exception of Section 10.35, shall not apply to alarm systems affixed to motor vehicles. -2- ~.' Section,10.37.: ~~nve,~tigatio~ of Ealse'Al'arms.. On~-olf the law enforcement officer~ r~sRonding to ' ' e~ch emergency alarm as defined her'eih.-s~all atte~p~ to~ascertain by investigation whe'ther said alarm ,',- was activ~te~.with reasonable ,cauSe ~erefor'or was' a."false alarm".with~n the meaning of S~ct'ion 10.32~ above. In th~ event that his'inveStigation indicates ~o the investigating officer that the a~arm was a falselalarm, said officer bhall, fofward a reportjof his investiga~io~ to the Code Enforcement officer of the City Qf~Saratoga.or such other.person as may 5'e designated.~y,the Qity Manager, stating.his,conclusions and th~ factual basis for 'such conclusi6ns. · ' ~ec~ion'10.38. False 'Alarm Service'Charge. There is hereby impdsed a~service charge upon every- owner of every i buiIding, structhre or other p.rem~se~' ' on ~r in which a police alarm system is located, who ..reports, causes-to be,'or permits to. be reporte~,' any' .-.false alarm as defined.in this chapter. Said ~ervi'ce ., -charge sha~l be in an amount fixed by r~s~lution of the r~'flect City Council, which is ~etermined to rea~On.a~lyj: the costs to the City of respQnding to eaCh-'such false alarm'. Said charge~ shall bear interest at the legal ~ate from the date thirty.~30) da~s following the'da~e' -of personal service ~r servic~ by mail ~pon'the owner. Section 10..39. Assessment of Service Charge. T~e Code'EnforcemenE Office~ shall enforce the provi= sions of thi~ chapter.- Upon receipt by said enforce- ment offic'er of ~'r~port of a false alarm originating I·. from p~emises, he ~halI cause a notic~ of assessment of -the' ab'ove-des~rib~d serv~e charge t'o be sent to the owner,.which notice shall describ'e. the~date and time of thealleged, false a~a~m,·and whether polic~personnel responded thereto~- Said notice.shall ~escribe th~ 'date~ and 'time .o~ the alleged.false.alarm,.and whether police personnel responded tbe~eto~ Said.notice shall-fu~'ther ._require payment,of s'aid service ~harg~withiD thirty -(.30) days following receipt, and shal,i"indicA~e*the existence and terms"of the he~ring provfs'~ons contained -~n this chapter. ',Section 10:40. -',Payment and Hearing. 0~'o~ before 'thirty (30) days fol'lowing issuance of the hotice and assessment describe~ in Sec~ion'~0.'39, the recipient of ~uch notice 'shall cause to ·~e remitted ,to'the 'Office of the City~Clerk the fulll amount of'SuCh servi~e charg~i AnX.person dis'~atisfied with the~,asSessment may attach , to such payme~t.a..'written/reque~t~fb~ a hea~ing.regardiR~ the investigation; d~.te~ina~on~';~'d~sse~ of said service c~arge.. -. .'~'-'q,.-' more than fifteen (15)~/days f~om r~ceipt 6f the r&qu~st, ~hdl ' ~ ~ r%,-l, C0dnci&. ~hal,l'~h01d the hearing, with- respect ~th'ereto,~'~a~d~ .. , ~hall~-se~ ~si~e. or-confirm said assessme~t~ in whole'or ih - - -: "~et'~side,'- ~' cor~esDbhd~ng sum of ~n'ey shat, l' 'be r'efunded~' 7:'.:." - -.' ~ - " .?.p'f 'the failure 'of. ~ny: ,~erson' to pay 'th'~ charges' aS~&ssed...' ,:' ' · "~" .'-: pdrsu~n'[ito '. the:' ~roiigions 6f t~is ordinance; "'the d:it~,-~&~: - 7 . ~>. · . .-' -same manner. as '&ny ~ther debts' owing to the City may .~e, .~ v "'-7 ',..". 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