5.60.020 Definitions.

The following terms shall have the following meanings for the purposes of this chapter:

“Alarm administrator” means a person or persons designated by the sheriff or board of county commissioners to administer, control and review false alarm reduction efforts and administer the provisions of this chapter.

“Alarm company” means a business engaged in any of the following: selling, leasing, maintaining, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving, installing or monitoring an alarm system in an alarm site.

“Alarm dispatch request” means a notification to a law enforcement agency that an alarm, either manual or automatic, has been activated at a particular alarm site.

“Alarm registration” means the notification by an alarm company or an alarm user to the alarm administrator that an alarm system has been installed and is in use.

“Alarm site” means a single fixed premise or location served by an alarm system or systems. Each unit, if served by a separate alarm system in a multi-unit building or complex shall be considered a separate alarm site.

“Alarm system” (burglary and/or robbery) means a device or series of devices, including, but not limited to, systems interconnected with a radio frequency method such as cellular or private radio signals, which emit or transmit a remote or local audible, visual or electronic signal indicating an alarm condition and intending to summon law enforcement response, including local alarm systems. Alarm system does not include an alarm installed in a vehicle or on someone’s person unless the vehicle or the personal alarm is permanently located at a site.

“Alarm user” means any person, who uses or is in control of any alarm system at its alarm site or who has contracted for monitoring, repair or maintenance service from an alarm company for an alarm system.

“Cancellation” or “responding agency alarm dispatch cancellation” means the process by which an alarm company providing monitoring verifies with the alarm user or responsible party that a false dispatch has occurred and communicates the verification to the responding law enforcement agency confirming that there is not an existing situation at the alarm site requiring law enforcement agency response.

“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 requires law enforcement response.

“Economically disadvantaged” means anyone who is eligible to participate in a federally funded food stamp program.

“False alarm” includes the activation of any alarm system by other than a forced entry, attempted forced entry, unlawful entry, or actual burglary or robbery at the alarm site, and at a time when no robbery or burglary or other crime is being committed or attempted at the alarm site. False alarm does not include an alarm activated by violent conditions of nature or other extraordinary circumstances not reasonably within the control of the owner or tenant of the alarm site or the operator of the alarm service.

“Holdup alarm” means a silent alarm sign generated by the manual activation of a device intended to signal a robbery in progress.

“Law enforcement authority” means the commissioner, superintendent, sheriff, director or other authorized representative of a law enforcement agency.

“License” means a license issued by the authority having jurisdiction over an alarm company to sell, install, monitor, repair, or replace alarm systems.

“Local alarm system” means any alarm system, which is not monitored, that annunciates an alarm only at the alarm site.

“Major alarm system upgrade” means the technically significant addition to or alteration of a previously existing alarm system as found by the Clark County sheriff’s office; PROVIDED, that any such addition or alteration of a documented cost in excess of five hundred dollars ($500) or more shall be presumed to be a major system upgrade; and provided further that the sheriff’s determination as to eligibility for major alarm system upgrade status shall be issued in writing and may be appealed within ten (10) days of its receipt as set forth in Section 5.60.070.

“Monitoring” means the process by which an alarm company receives signals from an alarm system and relays an alarm dispatch request to the municipality for the purpose of summoning law enforcement to the alarm site.

“Panic alarm” means an audible alarm system signal generated by the manual activation of a device intended to signal a life threatening or emergency situation requiring law enforcement response.

“Person” means an individual, corporation, partnership, association, organization, or similar entity.

“Takeover” means the transaction or process by which an alarm user takes over control of an existing alarm system, which was previously controlled by another alarm user.

“Verify” with reference to the monitoring of an alarm system, means an attempt by the alarm company, or its representative, to contact the alarm site by telephonic or other electronic means, whether or not actual contact with a person is made, before requesting law enforcement dispatch, in an attempt to avoid false alarms. (Sec. 3 of Ord. 1994-11-42; amended by Sec. 2 of Ord. 2004-01-03)