ORDINANCE NO. 2014-01-1465 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING CHAPTER 8.48 OF THE SIGNAL HILL MUNICIPAL CODE, ENTITLED SECURITY ALARM SYSTEMS, TO ADOPT A PROTOCOL FOR ALARM CALL VERIFICATIONS WHEREAS, the Chief of Police of the Signal Hill Police Department has determined that the adoption of an Enhanced Call Verification (ECV) protocol in the City will reduce the number of false alarm calls for service; and WHEREAS, the ECV protocol requires an alarm business that monitors alarm signals to verify the validity of an alarm signal by attempting at least two telephone calls to two different numbers before calling for a police dispatch to an alarm site; and WHEREAS, the alarm business would not be required to verify the alarm signal before calling for police dispatch in a circumstance where the alarm signal is a panic or robbery-in-progress alarm or in a situation where the alarm business was able to verify the alarm signal by means of a video or audio signal; and WHEREAS, the following amendments to the Security Alarm Systems Ordinance, Signal Hill Municipal Code Chapter 8.48, are intended to adopt an ECV protocol in the City, as well as make other non-substantive clean up changes to the Ordinance. NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL, CALIFORNIA, DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 8.48.020 of the Signal Hill Municipal Code is amended to read, in its entirety, as follows: 8.48.020 Definitions. For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply: A. Alarm agent means any person who is employed by an alarm business, whether directly or indirectly, whose duties include any of the following: Page 1 of 7
selling, maintaining, leasing, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving, installing or monitoring on any building, place or premises any alarm system. B. Alarm business means any person, firm or corporation engaged in selling, leasing, maintaining, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving, installing or monitoring any alarm system or causing to be sold, maintained, serviced, repaired, altered, replaced, moved, installed or monitored an alarm system in or on any building, place or premises. C. Alarm dispatch request means a request made to the police department to respond to an alarm site. activated. D. Alarm site means the location where an alarm system has been E. Alarm system means any mechanical or electrical device or assembly of devices designed or used for the detection of an unauthorized entry into a building, structure or facility; or for alerting others to the commission of an unlawful act within a building, structure or facility; or for alerting others to the commission of an unlawful act within a building, structure or facility; or to signal the presence of a hazard or emergency situation; and which, when activated, emits a sound or transmits a signal which is intended to either directly or indirectly summon police, fire or emergency service response. F. Alarm user means the owner of a structure or facility equipped with an alarm system, a person contracting with an alarm business for the leasing, servicing or maintaining of an alarm system, or other person who has responsibility for or control over alarm system activations, or maintains a proprietary alarm system. G. Audible alarm means a device designed for the detection of intrusion on premises which generates an audible sound on the premises when it is activated. H. Cancellation means a notification made by an alarm business after an alarm dispatch request has been made, that notifies the responding emergency agency that there is not an emergency situation at the alarm site requiring a response by a law enforcement agency or other emergency response provider. The alarm business, as used in this subsection, must be the same service that made the alarm dispatch request. I. Chief of police means the police chief of the Signal Hill police department, or his or her designee. J. Disconnect order means an order by the chief of police that the alarm system has been deemed a public nuisance and the alarm permit has been revoked. K. False alarm means the use or activation of an alarm system in the absence of an actual emergency situation, which results in the response of police or other public emergency service provider; or use or activation of an alarm system to Page 2 of 7
summon police or emergency service personnel in any situation other than an emergency situation; or the use or activation of an alarm system to summon police to incidents of shoplifting, petty theft, disturbances, prowlers, suspicious circumstances or to any incident where all suspects are believed to have left the scene. The use or activation may be caused intentionally or unintentionally, including by mechanical failure, accident, misoperation, malfunction, misuse, or negligence, of either the owner or lessee of the alarm system or their employees or agents. A false alarm does not include any of the following: 1. A cancellation made within three (3) minutes after the alarm dispatch request is made and prior to the responding police officer(s) or other emergency response provider(s) arriving at the alarm site. 2. An activation of an alarm system that can be reasonably associated by the responding officer(s) with an actual or attempted criminal offense at the alarm site. 3. An activation of an alarm system that is determined by the responding officer(s) to be the result of an earthquake, hurricane, tornado, or other unusual meteorological event. L. Proprietary alarm systems means an alarm system which is monitored directly by the alarm user or by an alarm business, and which is not designed to directly summon police or other public emergency service response. Activations of proprietary alarms shall be investigated by the alarm user, the alarm user's alarm business or some other person, with police or emergency service personnel being notified only after confirmation that an emergency situation requiring public emergency services exists. M. Silent alarm means a system which is monitored remotely by an alarm agent or alarm user and, when activated, sounds a bell, buzzer or light at a location other than where the alarm system has been installed. N. Emergency situation means a situation which does or reasonably may be suspected to pose an actual, imminent threat to human health or safety, or actual, imminent threat of severe property damage. O. 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, shall be officially marked to state: Design evaluated in accordance with SIA CP-01 Control Panel Standard Features for False Alarm Reduction. P. Verify means an attempt by an alarm business that monitors alarms to contact the alarm site and/or alarm user by telephone and/or other electronic means (such as video or audio transmissions), whether or not actual contact with a person is made, to determine whether an alarm signal is valid before requesting alarm Page 3 of 7
dispatch. To verify by telephone shall require, at 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. SECTION 2. Section 8.48.100 of the Signal Hill Municipal Code is amended to read, in its entirety, as follows: 8.48.100 Alarm system requirements. A. Audible Alarms. 1. Every audible alarm installed shall be equipped with a timer which, after alarm activation, automatically silences any external sounding devices within the following time period. a. Residential areas: fifteen minutes; b. Commercial or industrial areas within 500 feet of residences: fifteen minutes; c. Other commercial and industrial areas: thirty minutes. 2. Audible alarms used in conjunction with fire and mechanical equipment failure detection systems shall be conspicuously marked to indicate the nature of the emergency being reported. 3. No audible alarm may, when activated, emit a sound similar to the siren of authorized emergency vehicles as defined in Section 165 of the California Vehicle Code, as may be amended. B. Uninterruptable Power Supply. Every alarm system shall be equipped with a back-up power supply capable of maintaining alarm operation for a period of not less than four hours following the interruption of normal electrical utility service. C. Telephone Required. Any premises which is protected by a silent alarm system shall have an operational telephone immediately available for the use of the alarm user. D. Required Responses. In the event of an alarm activation, the responding officer may require that the alarm user or their representative respond to the alarm location. Upon such request, the alarm user or their representative shall respond with keys to the protected premises within forty-five minutes of notification. In the event that the alarm user or their representative cannot be located or refuses to respond, the alarm will be considered a false alarm even if it is determined later that an actual crime did occur. E. Minimum Installation Standards. All alarm systems shall be installed in such a manner as to ensure that they cannot be activated by normal or foreseeable noncriminal activities in or around the protected premises. Such activities Page 4 of 7
include but are not limited to: rattling of doors, walls and windows; passing vehicular traffic; vibration and other normal operating effects of heating and air-conditioning systems; power system fluctuations; stray radio signals; stray animals; and reasonable foreseeable weather conditions. F. Operating Instructions. The alarm user shall ensure that all persons in the possession or control of an alarmed premises are instructed in the proper use of the alarm system and are aware of the provision of this chapter. G. Control Panel Standard. Ninety (90) days after enactment of this section, on all new and upgraded installations, only alarm control panel(s) that meet SIA Control Panel Standard CP-01 shall be used for alarm systems. H. Alarm Monitoring. An alarm business that monitors alarm systems shall do all of the following when requesting an alarm dispatch: 1. Verify. Before requesting an alarm dispatch, the alarm business shall verify, as defined in Section 8.48.020, that the alarm signal is valid and not a false alarm. The above notwithstanding, an alarm business is not required to verify a panic or robbery-in-progress alarm signal, or in cases where a crime-in-progress has been verified by video and/or audible means. 2. Permit Number. When an alarm business requests alarm dispatch, it shall provide the alarm user permit number, when available, to the communications center to facilitate dispatch and cancellations. 3. Location. When an alarm business requests alarm dispatch, it shall provide all available and relevant information about the location of the alarm site, including without limitation, the nearest cross streets, and any information the alarm business has regarding unique circumstances that would make locating the alarm site difficult to the responding officer(s). 4. Cancellation. After requesting an alarm dispatch, an alarm business shall communicate a cancellation as soon as possible upon determining that there is not an emergency situation requiring a response by a law enforcement agency or other emergency response provider. SECTION 3. Section 8.48.110 of the Signal Hill Municipal Code is amended to read, in its entirety, as follows: 8.48.110 Alarm agent--registration required. Any person acting as or performing the duties of an alarm agent within the city shall carry on his or her person at all times while so engaged a valid registration card issued to him/her by the State Director of Consumer Affairs pursuant to the provisions of Section 7514(g) of the California Business and Professions Code, as may be amended, and shall display such card to any officer or agent of the city upon request. Page 5 of 7
SECTION 4. Effective Date. The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this ordinance by the City Council of the City of Signal Hill and shall, within 15 days after its final passage, cause the same to be published once in the Signal Hill Tribune, a newspaper of general circulation which is hereby designated for that purpose. This ordinance shall take effect 30 days after its passage. SECTION 5. Severability. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or portion of this Ordinance is, for any reason, held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Ordinance. The City Council of the City of Signal Hill hereby declares that it would have adopted this Ordinance and each section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or portion thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases, or portions thereof may be declared invalid or unconstitutional. PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED, at a Regular Meeting of the City Council held on this 21st day of January, 2014. ATTEST: MICHAEL NOLL MAYOR KATHLEEN L. PACHECO CITY CLERK Page 6 of 7
STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss. CITY OF SIGNAL HILL ) I, Kathleen L. Pacheco, City Clerk of the City of Signal Hill, California, hereby certify that was introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Signal Hill held on the 7th day of January, 2014, and thereafter was adopted by the City Council of the City of Signal Hill at a regular meeting held on the 21st day of January, 2014, and that the same was adopted by the following roll call vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: KATHLEEN L. PACHECO CITY CLERK Page 7 of 7