§ 10.5-201. Response to alarms; determination of validity.

(a)

Upon responding to any alarm activated in the unincorporated limits of Polk County, the responding officer shall make a complete and thorough inspection of the building, residence or premises where the alarm has been activated to determine the validity of the alarm.

(b)

If the responding officer determines the alarm to be false, the officer shall so notify the communications section of the fire services division in the case of a fire alarm or the communications section of the sheriff's office in the case of a security alarm. The appropriate communications section shall complete an alarm report documenting the false alarm. upon request by the fire services division or by the sheriff's office, the alarm monitoring company shall provide the name, physical/mailing address, and phone number for the alarm premises owner, the alarm premises lessee/occupant, the rental/property management company or the registered agent. This information shall be used to maintain a current database to ensure compliance with the provisions of this division. Failure by the alarm monitoring company to provide such information, upon request, will result in fines and penalties for false alarms imposed pursuant by this division being imposed against the alarm monitoring company.

(c)

Alarm users shall respond to each activated alarm at their premises within forty-five (45) minutes of notification. Response means arrival at the scene of the alarm. Response by a keyholder shall constitute response by an alarm user for the purposes of this subsection. In addition to any other penalty provided for herein, failure to respond within forty-five (45) minutes of notification without good cause shall result in a fine of fifty dollars ($50.00), or such fine as determined by the court if contested, not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00). In addition, the sheriff's office and the fire services division may, in their sole discretion, choose not to respond to an alarm in the event they have been informed by the alarm user or some other reliable source that neither the alarm user nor a keyholder for the alarm user will respond to the alarm and no legitimate reason for such failure to respond exists. However, subject to section 10.5-206, both the fire services division and the sheriff's office shall attempt to respond in all cases where a panic alarm has been activated and in all cases where they have received reliable information that an emergency in fact exists.

(Ord. No. 97-36, § 4, 9-16-97; Ord. No. 03-64, § 2, 9-17-03)