12 LC 36 2189S

The Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee offered the following substitute to HB 687:

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT

To amend Chapter 1 of Title 35 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions for law enforcement officers and agencies, so as to require persons and companies licensed to provide alarm monitoring services to utilize alarm verification in order to preserve valuable municipal and county law enforcement and firefighter resources; to provide for exceptions; to provide for related matters; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:

SECTION 1.

Chapter 1 of Title 35 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions for law enforcement officers and agencies, is amended by revising Code Section 35-1-9, which is reserved, as follows:

"35-1-9.

(a) As used in this Code section, the term:

(1) 'Alarm monitoring company' means any person, company, corporation, partnership, business, or a representative or agency thereof authorized to provide alarm monitoring services for burglar alarm systems, fire alarm systems, or other similar electronic security systems whether such systems are maintained on commercial business property, public property, or individual residential property.

(2) 'Alarm verification' means a reasonable attempt by an alarm monitoring company to contact the alarm site or alarm user, by telephone or other electronic means, to determine whether a burglar alarm signal is valid prior to requesting law enforcement to be dispatched to the location and, where the initial attempted contact cannot be made, a second reasonable attempt to make such contact utilizing a different telephone number or electronic address or number.

(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this Code section, an alarm monitoring company shall utilize a system providing for alarm verification of all alarm signals.

(c) Alarm verification shall not be required in the case of a fire alarm or a panic or robbery-in-progress alarm or in cases where a crime-in-progress has been verified to be true by video or audible means. Reserved."

SECTION 2.

This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2012.

SECTION 3.

All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.