§ 23-52. 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 business means the business by any individual, partnership, corporation, governmental unit or other entity of selling, leasing, maintaining, servicing, repairing, altering, replacing, moving, monitoring, or installing any alarm system or causing to be sold, leased, maintained, serviced, repaired, altered, replaced, moved or installed any alarm system in or on any building, structure or facility.

    Alarm coordinators means the individuals designated by the chief of police or fire chief to oversee administration and enforcement of the provisions of this article.

    Alarm system means any assembly of equipment, mechanical or electrical, arranged to signal the occurrence of an illegal entry, fire or other activity requiring urgent attention and to which police, fire or other city personnel would be expected to respond.

    Alarm user means any person, firm, or corporation who is lawfully in possession of any property or premises on which an operating 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 communication center.

    Automatic dial protection device means an electrically operated instrument composed of sensory apparatus and related hardware which automatically sends over regular telephone lines a prerecorded voice alarm upon receipt of a stimulus from the sensory apparatus that has detected a force or condition characteristic of an unauthorized intrusion, or any emergency message indicating a need for emergency response.

    Central station protective system means a system or group of systems operated by a person, firm, or corporation 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 Merriam, Kansas.

    Communications center means the communications center of the Johnson County, Kansas Sheriff or Johnson County Department of Emergency Management and Communications.

    False alarm means an alarm signal, eliciting an urgent response by police, fire or other personnel when a situation requiring an urgent response does not, in fact, exist, but does not include an alarm signal caused by violent conditions of nature or other extraordinary circumstances not reasonably subject to control by the alarm business or alarm user. The burden of providing that such alarm was not a false alarm shall be on the alarm business or alarm user.

    Fire chief means the fire chief of the City of Merriam, Kansas, or his designate.

    Local alarm system means an alarm system which, when activated, causes an audible or visual signaling device to be activated and is intended to be seen or heard by others outside of the protected premises.

    Notice means written notice, given by personal service upon the addressee, or given by United States mail, postage prepaid, addressed to the person to be notified at his last known address. Service of such notice shall be effective upon completion of personal service, or upon placing the same in the custody of the United States Postal Service.

    Personal residence means the principal place of abode of any alarm user who personally installs and operates an alarm system for the security of his home.

    Police chief means the chief of police of the City of Merriam, Kansas, or his designate.

    Primary trunkline means a telephone line leading into the communication center that is for the purpose of handling emergency calls on a person-to-person basis and which line is identified by a specific listing among the emergency numbers in the telephone directory issued by the telephone company serving the city.

    Registration year means a calendar year beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31 at midnight.

(Code 1967, § 5-4; Ord. No. 1227, § 1, 9-26-1994)