Alarm companies.

Existing law, the Alarm Company Act, establishes the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services within the Department of Consumer Affairs and sets forth its powers and duties over the licensure, registration, and regulation of alarm company operators. Existing law prohibits a person from engaging in the activities of an alarm company operator unless the person holds a valid alarm company operator's license. Existing law makes a violation of these provisions a crime. Existing law defines the term "alarm system" for purposes of the act to mean an assembly of equipment and devices arranged to detect a hazard or signal the presence of an off-normal situation, and excludes a fire protection system, as specified. This bill would specify that "alarm system" for these purposes includes a video system in which an analog or digital video signal travels from the camera to video monitoring stations. To the extent that the bill would expand the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.