§ 58-101. Definitions.

The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

Alarm administrator means a person or persons designated by the chief of police to administer, control and review false alarm reduction efforts and administer the provisions of this article.

Alarm company means a person subject to the licensing requirements, and/or a company engaged in selling, leasing, installing, servicing or monitoring alarm systems; this person shall be licensed in compliance with city, county and state laws.

Alarm permit means a permit issued by the police department allowing the operation of an alarm system within the City of Chamblee.

Alarm signal means a detectable signal, either audible or visual, generated by an alarm system, to which the police are requested to respond.

Alarm system means any single device or assembly of equipment designed to signal the occurrence of an illegal or unauthorized entry or other activity requiring immediate attention and to which the police department is requested to respond, but does not include alarms motor vehicles or boat alarms, fire alarms, domestic violence alarms, or alarms designed to elicit a medical response.

Alarm user means any person, corporation, partnership, proprietorship, governmental or educational entity or any other entity owning, leasing or operating an alarm system, or on whose premises an alarm system is maintained for the protection of such premises.

Alarm user awareness class means a class conducted for the purpose of educating alarm users about the responsible use, operation, and maintenance of alarm systems and the problems created by false alarms.

Automatic dial protection device means an automatic dialing device or an automatic telephone dialing alarm system and shall include any system which upon being activated, automatically initiates to the Chamblee Police Department, a recorded message or code signal indicating a need for police response.

Cancellation means the process where response is terminated when the alarm company (designated by the alarm user) notifies the Chamblee Police Department that there is not an existing situation at the alarm site requiring police response after an alarm dispatch request. If cancellation occurs prior to police arriving at the scene, this is not a false alarm for the purpose of civil penalty, and no penalty will be assessed.

Chief of police means the Chief of Police of the Chamblee Police Department or his designee.

False alarm means the activation of an alarm system through mechanical or electronic failure, malfunction, improper installation, or the negligence of the alarm user, his/her employees or agents, and signals activated to summon police personnel unless law enforcement response was canceled by the alarm user or his agent before police personnel arrive at the alarm location. An alarm is false within the meaning of this article when, upon inspection by the Chamblee Police Department, evidence indicates that no unauthorized entry, robbery, or other such crime was committed or attempted in or on the premises which would have activated a properly functioning alarm system. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a false alarm shall not include an alarm which can reasonably be determined to have been caused or activated by unusually violent conditions of nature, nor does it include other extraordinary circumstances not reasonably subject to control by the alarm user.

Local alarm means an alarm system that emits a signal at an alarm site that is audible or visible from the exterior of a structure and is not monitored by a remote monitoring facility, whether installed by an alarm company or user.

Runaway alarm means an alarm system that produces repeated alarm signals that do not appear to be caused by separate human action. The Chamblee Police Department may in its discretion discontinue police responses to alarm signals from what appears to be a runaway alarm.

SIA Control Panel Standard CP-01 means the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) approved Security Industry Association (SIA) CP-01 Control Panel Standard, as may be updated from time to time, that details recommended design features for security system control panels and their associated arming and disarming devices to reduce false alarms. Control panels built and tested to this standard by a nationally recognized testing organization, will be marked to state: "Design evaluated in accordance with SIA CP-01 Control Panel Standard Features for False Alarm Reduction".

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 law enforcement dispatch, in an attempt to avoid an unnecessary alarm dispatch request. For the purpose of this article, 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. No. 593, 12-16-08)