Chapter 9.20
ELECTRONIC SECURITY DEVICES AND FIRE ALARMS
Sections:
9.20.010 Prohibited – Exception.
9.20.040 Excessive or improper false alarms – Penalties.
9.20.050 No response to excessive false alarms.
9.20.005 Purpose.
A. The purpose of this chapter is to encourage alarm users and alarm businesses to assume increased responsibility for the mechanical/electrical reliability and proper use of alarm systems and to prevent unnecessary police and fire emergency response to false alarms, thereby to protect the emergency response capability of the city from misuse.
B. The obligation of complying with this chapter and liability for failing to do so is placed on the parties responsible for owning, operating, monitoring or maintaining alarm systems. [Ord. 612 § 1, 2011; Ord. 275 § 1, 2001]
9.20.010 Prohibited – Exception.
The installation or use of any electric, electronic or mechanical security device which gives automatic notice to the communications center of the sheriff’s office or fire department, is prohibited, except by federal, state or local government agencies acting with the permission of the police or fire chief. This provision specifically includes devices utilizing the public telephone system. [Ord. 612 § 1, 2011; Ord. 275 § 1, 2001]
9.20.020 Definitions.
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
A. “Alarm business” means the business by an individual, partnership, corporation or other entity of selling, leasing, maintaining, monitoring, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving or installing an alarm system or causing to be sold, leased, maintained, monitored, serviced, repaired, altered, replaced, moved or installed an alarm system in or on any building, structure or facility.
B. “Alarm dispatch request” means a notification to the Shoreline police or fire department by an alarm business or another party that an alarm, either manual or automatic, has been activated at a particular alarm site.
C. “Alarm monitoring company” means an individual, partnership, corporation or other form of association that engages in the business of monitoring property, burglary, robbery or panic alarms and reporting activation of the alarm system to a law enforcement agency.
D. “Alarm site” means a single premises or location served by an alarm system or systems. Each tenancy, if served by a separate alarm system in a multitenant building or complex, is a separate alarm site.
E. “Alarm system” means a system, device or mechanism that, when activated, transmits a telephone message to a private alarm monitoring company or some other number, emits an audible or visible signal that can be heard or seen by persons outside the protected premises or transmits a signal beyond the premises in some other fashion, to report a crime in progress or other crisis situation requiring a police or fire response. “Alarm system” does not include a medical alert system or an alarm installed on a motor vehicle.
F. “Alarm system user” means a person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company or organization of any kind that uses an alarm system at its alarm site.
G. “False alarm” means the activation of any combination of burglary, robbery, panic or yard alarm when no crime is being committed or attempted on the premises. An alarm is presumed false if the police officers responding do not locate evidence of an intrusion or commission of an unlawful act or emergency on the premises that might have caused the alarm to sound or if the responding fire officials do not locate any risk from fire, heat, water or smoke. However, “false alarm” does not include an alarm caused by extraordinary circumstances not reasonably subject to control by the alarm business operator or alarm user. An alarm dispatch request that is canceled by the alarm system monitoring company or the alarm system user before arrival of the responding officer or official to the alarm site is not a false alarm for the purposes of penalty assessment or no-response status designation.
H. “Monitoring” means the process by which an alarm business receives signals from the alarm system and relays an alarm dispatch request to the proper jurisdiction for the purpose of summoning police or fire response to the alarm site.
I. “No response” means that police officers may not be dispatched to investigate a report of an automatic burglary or property alarm system activation at an alarm site that has a record of four false alarms within a continuous six-month period, if the alarm is the only basis for making the dispatch.
J. “Premises” means an area or a portion of an area protected by an alarm system.
K. “Sheriff” means the sheriff of King County.
L. “Verification” means an attempt to avoid an unnecessary alarm dispatch request by the alarm business, or its representative, by contacting the alarm site by telephonic or other electronic means, with or without actual contact with a system user or representative, before requesting a police or fire dispatch. [Ord. 612 § 1, 2011; Ord. 275 § 1, 2001]
9.20.030 Requirements.
A. 1. An alarm system may not have an alarm signal audible on the exterior of an alarm site that sounds longer than one hour after being activated.
2. An alarm system may not automatically dial the sheriff’s office or fire department directly and deliver a prerecorded message unless specifically authorized by the sheriff or fire department.
B. An alarm user:
1. Shall submit an emergency response card to be on file with the Shoreline police department and/or the Shoreline fire department providing a notice of the telephone numbers at which the person or persons authorized to enter the premises can be reached to respond;
2. Shall maintain the premises and the alarm system in a manner that will minimize or eliminate false alarms;
3. Shall make every reasonable effort to respond or cause a representative to respond to the alarm site within one hour when notified by the police or fire department to deactivate a malfunctioning alarm system, to provide access to the premises or to provide security for the premises; and
4. May not manually activate an alarm for any reason other than an occurrence of an event for which the alarm system was intended to report.
C. An alarm monitoring company shall:
1. Attempt to verify whether an actual crime is being committed at the alarm site and report the results of its verification attempt to the Shoreline police department or whether an actual fire is occurring at the alarm site and report the results of its verification attempt to the Shoreline fire department;
2. Request cancellation of an alarm dispatch request upon verifying no event has occurred that the alarm system was intended to report; and
3. If applicable, describe in plain language, other than a zone number, the specific location on the premises of the point of entry or unauthorized access. [Ord. 612 § 1, 2011; Ord. 275 § 1, 2001]
9.20.040 Excessive or improper false alarms – Penalties.
A. For a response to premises at which no other false alarm has occurred within any consecutive six-month period, no fee shall be charged.
B. Any person or business, through error, omission or mechanical/electrical failure that causes two false alarms in any consecutive six-month period shall be assessed a civil penalty of $50.00. The penalty for the third and any successive false alarm in a six-month period is $75.00. Any succeeding false alarms as a result of failure to take the necessary corrective action or any nonpayment of any false alarm charges, or both, may result in the chief of police ordering the disconnection of the alarm until either the corrective action is taken or any outstanding charges are paid, or both, or ordering no response to future alarms. However, a disconnection may not be ordered as to any premises required by law to have an alarm system in operation.
C. Any alarm system business or monitoring company, through error, omission or mechanical/electrical failure, that violates SMC 9.20.030 shall be assessed a civil penalty of $100.00. [Ord. 612 § 1, 2011; Ord. 275 § 1, 2001]
9.20.050 No response to excessive false alarms.
A. After the third false alarm in a six-month consecutive period, the police chief shall send a notification to the alarm user and the alarm monitoring company, if any, by regular mail, that contains the following information:
1. That the third false alarm has occurred; and
2. That if another false alarm occurs within the six-month period, the police will not respond to any subsequent alarm activations without the approval of the police chief or a visual verification;
3. Prior to placing an alarmed premises on a no-response status, a Shoreline police officer will contact the owner/user to provide training and/or alarm inspection. The owner/user shall provide written verification that corrective action was taken to prevent further false alarms to the police chief within 10 working days of the fourth false alarm.
B. 1. After the fourth false alarm within a consecutive sixth-month period, police may not respond to subsequent alarms without approval of the police chief. If police response is suspended, the Shoreline police shall send a notification of no-response status to:
a. The sheriff’s office communication center;
b. The alarm user, by first class mail; and
c. The alarm user’s alarm monitoring company, if any, by first class mail.
2. The notice must include explanation that the approval of the police chief for reinstatement may only be obtained by applying in writing for the reinstatement. The police chief may reinstate the alarm user upon a finding that reasonable effort has been made to correct the false alarms, including documentation from an alarm business, stating that the alarm system is operating properly and that the alarm user’s agents are properly trained in the alarm system’s operation. The city and police chief are not responsible for costs incurred by the alarm system user to qualify for reinstatement.
C. The suspension of police response must begin 20 days after the notice of suspension or notice of no-response status was sent by first class mail to the alarm user unless a written request for an appeal hearing has been filed in the required time period under this chapter. [Ord. 612 § 1, 2011; Ord. 275 § 1, 2001. Formerly 9.20.055]
9.20.060 False alarm – Responsibility – Issuance of notice of violation, filing, hearing penalty.
Repealed by Ord. 612. [Ord. 275 § 1, 2001]