False Alarm Dispatch Bylaw

DISTRICT OF LANGFORD 
BYLAW NO. 166 
A BYLAW TO REDUCE FALSE ALARM DISPATCHES 
WHEREAS by Section 932.1 of the Municipal Act provides that Council may 
establish fees to be paid by the owner or occupier of real property to which policing 
services are provided in response to a false alarm or a security alarm system; 
AND WHEREAS the response to false alarms by police department incurs a cost 
to the municipality that should be born by the alarm industry; 
AND WHEREAS these false alarm dispatches require emergency responses from 
police posing a threat to the safety of police officers and members of the public by creating 
unnecessary hazards; 
AND WHEREAS under Section 526 of the Municipal Act the Council may regulate 
the carrying on of business in the municipality for the purposes of protecting the public or 
preventing or minimizing nuisances; 
NOW THEREFORE the Council of the District of Langford in open meeting 
assembled enacts as follows: 
1. 
DEFINITIONS: 
In this bylaw, 
a) 
"Alarm Business" means a person, partnership or company engaged in the 
selling, installing, maintaining, servicing and monitoring alarm systems and 
reporting the occurrence of alarms to the police. 
b) 
"Alarm System" means any mechanical, electrical or electronic device which 
is designed, intended or used for the detection of any unauthorized entry into 
a building, structure, facility or surrounding area, or for alerting others to the 
commission of an unlawful act, or both, and which emits a sound or transmits 
a message, or does both, but does not include: 
i) 
a device which registers an alarm which is not audible, visible or 
detectable outside the premises inside which it is installed, or 
ii) 
a device which is installed in a motor vehicle. 
c) 
"False Alarm Dispatch" means the activation of an alarm system resulting in 
the direct or indirect notification of the police to attend the address of the 
alarm system where there has been no unauthorized entry or commission of 
an unlawful act on or in relation to the building, structure, residence or 
facility, or where there has been no emergency situation. 
False alarm 
incidents include but are not limited to: 
i) 
the testing of an alarm which results in a police dispatch response; 

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False Alarm Dispatch Bylaw 
ii) 
an alarm actually or apparently activated by mechanical failure, 
malfunction or faulty equipment; 
iii) 
an alarm activated by user error; 
iv) 
an alarm reporting an attempted or completed criminal offence or an 
emergency situation occurring on or in relation to the address in which 
the alarm system is installed where no evidence exists or where no 
such event took place; 
v) 
an alarm actually or apparently activated by atmospheric condition, 
excessive vibrations or power failure. 
d) 
"Hold Up Alarm" means an alarm system installed in a bank, trust company 
or credit union, designed to indicate the occurrence of a hold up or robbery. 
e) 
"Person" means a person as defined within the Interpretation Act. 
2. 
All alarm systems shall require a permit, said permit may be obtained from the 
Licence Inspector at no charge except as set forth in Section 3. 
3. 
Alarm system users that do not hold a valid permit and that generate a false alarm 
dispatch will be charged ($25.00) fee for a permit. 
4. 
On each occasion that an alarm business reports an alarm to the police it shall first 
place a telephone call to the premises from which the alarm was sent to verify that 
the alarm is not false, and immediately telephone or otherwise contact the owner, 
or occupier, or other person responsible for the premises from which the alarm was 
sent, to request that person to attend the premises immediately. 
The person 
attending the premises should be able to afford the police access to the premises 
and be capable of operating the alarm system. 
5. 
a) 
If in any twelve (12) month period the police respond to three (3) false alarm 
dispatches originating from one alarm system, the Bylaw Enforcement 
Officer shall cause a notice to be sent to the occupier of the property in 
which the alarm system is installed advising of the occurrence of the false 
alarms and of the consequences which may arise if further false alarm 
dispatches occur. 
b) 
If in any twelve (12) month period the police respond to four (4) or more false 
alarm dispatches originating from one alarm system, there shall be imposed 
on the occupier of the property in which the alarm system is installed a fee 
of $100.00 for the fourth and each subsequent false alarm dispatch. 
c) 
Any fees imposed under this bylaw shall be due and payable within 45 days 
of invoice and, if unpaid on December 31st of the year in which they are 
imposed, shall be added to and form part of the taxes payable on the real 
property as taxes in arrears. 

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False Alarm Dispatch Bylaw 
d) 
i) 
If in any twelve (12) month period the police respond to five (5) or 
more false alarm dispatches originating from one system, the Officer 
In ChargeAA/estern Communities RCMP may cause a notice in writing 
to be sent to the occupier of the property in which the alarm system 
is installed advising that the police shall not respond to subsequent 
alarms. 
ii) 
Before response to alarms will resume the occupier shall submit to 
the Licence Inspector an inspection report completed by a Trades 
Qualified Service Technician who is licensed as such under the 
Private Investigators and Security Agencies Act certifying the alarm 
system is functioning properly. 
iii) 
On receipt of a valid inspection report the Licence Inspector may 
recommend to the Officer in ChargeAA/estern Communities RCMP to 
resume alarm response and a new 12 month period will begin from 
the date of the inspection report. 
6. 
APPEAL: 
a) 
An occupier of premises may appeal the validity of a determination that an 
alarm was false by submitting a notice in writing to the Bylaw Enforcement 
Officer within ten (10) days of being notified of the determination of false 
alarm. 
The Bylaw Enforcement Officer shall: 
i) 
conduct an internal investigation; or 
ii) 
attempt to resolve the appeal informally with the occupier; or 
iii) 
convene a hearing with the Clerk-Administrator and the Bylaw 
Enforcement Officer; or 
iv) 
receive written or oral submissions from the occupier, 
and shall determine whether the alarm dispatch was false. 
b) 
The determination by the Bylaw Enforcement Officer under this section, of 
whether an alarm dispatch was false, shall be final and conclusive for all 
purposes. 
7. 
If any portion of this Bylaw is held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, such 
invalidity shall not affect the remaining portions of this Bylaw. 
8. 
Any person who violates section 2 of this bylaw is guilty of an offence and liable, on 
summary conviction, to a fine of not less than $100.00 and not more than 
$2,000.00. A separate offence shall be deemed to be committed upon each day 
during and in which the contravention occurs or continues. 

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False Alarm Dispatch Bylaw 
9. 
This Bylaw may be cited for all purposes as the "False Alarm Dispatch Bylaw, 
1996". 
READ A FIRST TIME THIS 
3rd 
READ A SECOND TIME THIS 
3rd 
READ A THIRD TIME THIS 
3rd 
ADOPTED THIS 
ftCTtA^I MAYO R 
16th 
day of 
September, 1996 
day of 
September, 1996 
day of 
September, 1996 
day of 
September, 1996 
CLERK-ADMINISTRATOR