Please read this entire letter carefully.

This letter contains important information regarding the requirement of alarm businesses to register alarm users with the City of Wichita.

The City of Wichita invited alarm businesses to attend a meeting at the City Building on Wednesday, October 17, 2001, to discuss the implementation of changes made to Chapter 3.40, the Alarm Systems Ordinance. The City Council approved the changes to the ordinance in March 1999, and Electronic Data Systems Corporation (EDS) has been hired to implement the changes. The enclosed information will answer some of the questions asked by participants at the meeting and explain the new final procedures for registering alarm users with the city.

At the meeting, a proposed plan for alarm businesses to register current and future alarm users with the city, as required by the ordinance, was presented. The alarm users that must be registered are those alarm users that request City of Wichita emergency personnel as the first response to an activated alarm system. If an alarm users elects private security personnel as the first response to an activated alarm system, registration is not required.

The two main concerns at the meeting were the time frame proposed to register the required alarm users with the city, and the registration process available if alarm businesses were unable to register alarm users in a DOS type ASCII data format using a floppy disk or CD. These two issues have been reviewed and a change in the process has been made.

The new implementation date for the changes in the Alarm System Ordinance is February 1, 2002. On February 1, 2002, alarm businesses will be required to provide the city assigned alarm user permit number, along with the alarm users name and address when contacting the Emergency Communications Center to dispatch to a monitored alarm user's address.

Alarm businesses with 500 or less initial current alarm user registrations now have the option to register initial current alarm users on a paper form or electronically on a floppy disk or CD. Paper registrations will not be accepted to register more than 500 initial current alarm users. The time allowed for alarm businesses to register current alarm users begins upon receipt of this letter and ends January 9, 2002. Payment of the ten dollar ($10) per alarm user registration fee may be submitted in one of two methods:

1. If the current alarm user registration information is submitted and postmarked no later than December 14, 2001, payment for the registration is not due until February 14, 2002.

2. If the current alarm user registration information is submitted and postmarked after December 14, 2001, the registration information and payment in full is due January 9, 2002.

If payment is not remitted when due, alarm users submitted for registration will not be considered registered and the alarm business will be subject to the one hundred fifty dollar ($150) administrative penalty if the alarm business contacts the communications center to dispatch to any of the non-registered alarm users beginning February 1, 2002.

Materials provided in this packet

1. A copy of the alarm business meeting presentation on Wednesday, October 17, 2001.

2. Clarification of Questions and Concerns Voiced at the Alarm Business Meeting

3. Chapter 3.40 Alarm Systems Summary for Alarm Businesses – a summary of the Alarm Systems ordinance.

4. Types of Alarm User Registration

5. Instructions For Registering Alarm Users With The City of Wichita

6. The Initial Alarm User Registration Cover Sheet form

7. The Current Alarm Customer Registration Application

8. The City of Wichita Initial Current Alarm User Permit Record Layout

   NOTE: This form supercedes the proposed example that was available for review at the Alarm Business Meeting on Wednesday, October 17, 2001. The example layout at the meeting was labeled: "Wichita Alarm Tracking and Billing Permit Record Layout" and dated 10/17/01 in the lower left hand corner. Do not use the example form from the meeting.

9. The Alarm Registration Block Permit Order Form

If you have any questions regarding the ordinance changes or the process for registering current or future alarm users with the city, please contact the EDS Alarm Tracking and Billing center at 1-800-773-2673 or Terry Feaster, City of Wichita Alarm Administrator at 1-316-268-4525.