County means all areas within the boundaries of Vigo County Indiana. And for the purpose of this ordinance does not apply to areas within the corporate limits of the City of Terre Haute, Indiana.
False alarm means the activation of an alarm system through mechanical or electronic failure, malfunction, improper installation, or the negligence of the alarm user, his/her employees or agents, and signals activated to summon law enforcement personnel unless law enforcement response was cancelled by the alarm user or his/her agent before law enforcement personnel arrive at the alarm location. An alarm if false within the meaning of this article when, upon inspection by the Vigo County Sheriff's Office, evidence indicates that no unauthorized entry, robbery, or other such crime was committed or attempted in or on the premises which would have activated a properly functioning alarm system. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a false alarm shall not include an alarm which can reasonably be determined to have been caused or activated by unusually violent conditions of nature nor does it include other extraordinary circumstances not reasonably subject to control by the alarm user.
Local Alarm means an alarm system that emits a signal at an alarm site that is audible or visible from the exterior of a structure and is not monitored by a remote monitoring facility, whether installed by an alarm company or user.
Runaway alarm means an alarm system that produces repeated alarm signals that do not appear to be caused by separate human action. The Vigo County Sheriff's Office may in its discretion discontinue law enforcement response to alarm signals from what appears to be a runaway alarm's.
SIA Control Panel Standard CP-01 means the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) approved Security Industry Association (SIA) CP-01 Control Panel Standard, as may be updated from time to time, that details recommended design features for security system control panels and their associated arming and disarming devices to reduce false alarms.
Verify means an attempt by the monitoring company, or its representative, to contact the alarm site and/or alarm user by telephone or other electronic means, whether or not actual contact with a person is made, to attempt to determine whether an alarm signal is valid before requesting law enforcement dispatch, in an attempt to avoid an unnecessary alarm dispatch request. For the purpose of this ordinance, telephone verification shall require, as a minimum that a second call be made to a different number if the first attempt fails to reach an alarm user who can properly identify themselves to attempt to determine whether an alarm signal is valid before requesting law enforcement dispatch.