§ 8-300. Definitions.

As used in this article, the following words shall have the following meaning:

Alarm business means any business operated by a person who engages in the activity of selling, altering, installing, leasing, maintaining, repairing, servicing, monitoring or responding to an alarm system or which causes any of these activities to take place.

Alarm coordinator means that person or those persons designated by the city manager to administer and enforce the provisions of this article.

Alarm system means any assembly of equipment or devices, or a single device, installed upon a house, building or other structure fixed upon real estate, which, when activated, emits an audible, visual or electronic signal that is designed to be heard, seen, or received by persons outside of the protected house, building or other structure and is reasonably expected to elicit or cause a response by the Riley County Police Department or the fire department of the city. Provided further, this term includes any assembly of equipment or devices, or a single device, installed in a building with multiple dwelling units, which, when activated, emits an audible, visual or electronic signal that is designed to be heard, seen or received by the inhabitants of the building and is reasonably expected to elicit or cause a response by the Riley County Police Department or the fire department of the city. Provided, however, that term does not include smoke detectors and other alarms designed to merely give on-premises notification of an alarm condition in single-family dwelling units.

Alarm user means any person who owns, operates, manages or is otherwise in control of an alarm system, and who owns, operates, manages or is otherwise in control of the building, structure, premises or facility upon which such alarm system is located.

Answering service means a telephone answering business providing among its services the service of receiving on a continuous basis through trained employees, emergency signals from alarm systems, and thereafter immediately relaying the message by live voice to the Riley County Police Department or the fire department of the city.

Automatic dialing device means an alarm system which automatically sends over telephone lines to the Riley County Police Department or the fire department of the city, by direct dialing or otherwise, a prerecorded message or coded signal indicating the existence of an emergency situation the alarm system is designed to detect.

Central station protective system means a system or group of systems operated by a person in which the operations of electrical protection circuits and devices are transmitted to, recorded in, maintained and supervised from a central station having operators in attendance at all times.

City means the City of Manhattan, Kansas.

Director means the director of the Riley County Police Department, or said person's official designee.

Director of fire services means the director of fire services of the fire department of the city, or said person's official designee.

False alarm means the activation of an alarm system resulting in a response by law enforcement or fire personnel when a situation requiring a response does not, in fact, exist. A false alarm may be the result of, but not limited to, mechanical or electric failure, malfunction, improper installation, improper adjustment, accidental tripping, misoperation, misuse, defect or negligence of a person.

(1)

Provided, however, if an alarm signal is caused by a violent condition of nature or other circumstances not reasonably subject to control by the alarm user or alarm business, it shall not be deemed a false alarm for purposes of this article.

(2)

Provided, further, that a system designed to be used to report a robbery or holdup when used for any other purpose shall be considered a false alarm hereunder.

(Ord. No. 6033, § 1, 11-3-98)