221.01 PURPOSE AND GENERAL POLICY:

The purpose of this policy is to establish regulations, standards and controls relating to the type, use, and installation of police alarm devices. The Wood County Sheriffs Department Alarm Ordinance is established to create procedures that all users of an alarm coming into the Wood County Sheriffs Department follow. Procedures establish guidelines for alarm users and provide for penalties when alarm systems are activated by human error or malfunction. It is designed to enhance our response to crimes in progress as well as reduce the incidents of false alarms received by the Wood County Sheriffs Department.

All persons or entities installing or maintaining an alarm system shall first obtain a permit from the Wood County Sheriffs Department. An alarm permit will be granted only after satisfactory completion of an application, which must be submitted to the Wood County Sheriffs Department for approval. A permit will be granted by the Wood County Sheriffs Department after approval of the application and payment of the appropriate fee as set forth below.

The application for alarm permit must explain what type of alarm will be utilized along with a description of how the alarm works.

If at any time the alarm user does not comply with the regulations set forth in this policy, the alarm permit may be revoked by the Sheriff or his designee.

Permit Fees:

A. Signal received through an outside alarm service $25.00.

B. On-premise alarms - $25.00.

This type of alarm is programmed directly to a private central answering station. This station is responsible for the monitoring of said alarm and notifying the Wood County Sheriffs Department when an alarm is transmitted from the user to the service.

The central answering station will advise the Wood County Sheriffs Department of which particular alarm user had transmitted the signal. They will, to the best of their ability and equipment potential, advise us of which area on the premise is experiencing the intrusion. If this is a robbery in progress alarm, they will give us whatever information is available to them at the time.

The central answering station will be responsible for maintaining a current contact notification list for each user. The station will contact a key holder or other representative to meet the Wood County Sheriffs Department responding deputies to determine cause of alarm. Representatives must be advised to respond to every alarm location in a very timely fashion.

Any alarm user using a private central answering station is subject to all of the regulations located within this ordinance.

221.05 AUTOMATIC DIALING SERVICE PROHIBITION:

No automatic dialing service with a pre-recorded message shall terminate on any of the telephone lines into the Wood County Sheriffs Department.

No person will be allowed to use an alarm system, which creates a pre-recorded message that, is transmitted directly over phone lines to the Wood County Sheriffs Department.

No person will be granted a permit with this type of system under this ordinance. Quite simply, these types of systems are prohibited within Wood County Sheriffs Department jurisdiction.

Visual or audible alarms that do not connect to an answering panel or service will be referred to herein as ‘On-Premise Alarms.’ This type of alarm generates a signal on or about the premises to notify that an intrusion is occurring. If this signal is reported to the Wood County Sheriff’s Department, the other conditions set forth in this Ordinance apply.

A false alarm means a signal from an alarm system resulting in a response by the Wood County Sheriffs Department when an emergency situation does not exist.

A. False alarms exceeding two in a calendar year are violations and will result in a citation.

B. An alarm will not be counted as a false alarm if it was due to a power outage or power interruption.

The deputy responding to an alarm call shall determine whether or not the transmission will be recorded as a false alarm. All incidents involving an alarm will necessitate a final determination or disposition to be recorded on the Wood County Computer. Deputies will rely on this computer information to determine whether or not a user will be assessed a forfeiture for a false alarm.

 

It is the responsibility of the alarm user and/or central answering station to notify the Wood County Sheriffs Department of intentions to test an alarm system. In the event of an alarm test and no prior notification of testing exists, the alarm test shall be considered a ‘false alarm."

Above guidelines are subject to change by the Wood County Sheriff without notice.