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 Hialeah
 Code of Ordinances
 Chapter 54. LAW ENFORCEMENT
 Article II. BURGLARY AND ROBBERY ALARMS

§ 54-31. Definitions.  

Latest version.

  • The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

    Alarm system means any assembly of equipment, mechanical or electrical, arranged to signal the occurrence of an illegal entry or other activity requiring urgent attention and to which the police department or fire department is expected to respond, excluding automobile alarm systems; medical alert systems; alarm systems connected to any municipal, county, state or federally controlled building or structure.

    Alarm user means the person in control of any building, structure or facility or portion thereof wherein an alarm system is maintained.

    Appeals board means the code enforcement board or special master or hearing officer, who shall act as an impartial arbitrator at hearings related to the enforcement of this article.

    Automatic telephone dialing alarm system means the automatic dialing device or an automatic telephone dialing alarm system and includes any system which, upon being activated, automatically transmits by telephone or telephone line to the police department or fire department a recorded message or code signal indicating a need for emergency response; or a system which, upon activation, connects to an answering service whose function it is to transmit to the police department or fire department a need for emergency response.

    False alarm means a signal from an alarm system that elicits a response by the police when no emergency, actual or threatened, criminal activity requiring immediate response exists; or that elicits a response by the fire department when no emergency exists. This definition includes signals activated by negligence, accident, mechanical failure, and electrical failure; signals activated intentionally in nonemergency situations; and signals for which the actual cause of activation is unknown. It is a rebuttable presumption that an alarm is false if personnel responding from the police department or fire department do not discover any evidence of unauthorized entry, criminal activity, or other emergency after following normal police or fire department operating procedures respectively in investigating the incident. An alarm is not false if the alarm user proves that:

    (1)

    An individual activated the alarm based upon a reasonable belief that an emergency, actual or threatened criminal activity requiring immediate response, existed; or

    (2)

    The alarm system was activated by lighting or an electrical surge that caused physical damage to the system, as evidenced by the testimony of a licensed alarm system contractor who conducted an on-site inspection and personally observed the damage.

(Code 1960, § 22-31; Ord. No. 89-54, § 3, 4-25-1989; Ord. No. 93-10, § 1, 1-26-1993; Ord. No. 2002-83, § 1, 12-10-2002; Ord. No. 2009-39, § 1, 5-26-2009)

Cross reference

Definitions generally, § 1-2.