Borough of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ Article III False Alarms Issued by Burglar Alarms Only

[Adopted 10-24-1988 by Ord. No. 1488]

§ 80-12 Penalty fees.

[Amended 4-11-2000 by Ord. No. 1893]

In the event that any burglar alarm issues a false signal, whether such signal is from a device issuing an audible or visible signal and attached to the outside of a building or structure within the Borough of Hasbrouck Heights or from a device which directly or indirectly signals the Police Department of the Borough of Hasbrouck Heights, the permittee or registrant of such burglar alarm shall be subject to the following:

A. Upon the second false alarm in any year, a warning from the Chief of Police of the possible future imposition of the terms of this article.

B. Upon the third through sixth false alarms in any year, the imposition of additional permit or registration fees as set forth in Chapter 133, Fees.

C. Upon the seventh false alarm in any year, the Chief of Police shall cause an investigation to be made of the reasons for the continued issuance of the false alarms and shall report the same to the Mayor and Council. The Mayor and Council shall then, upon public hearing with notice to the permittee or registrant of the particular device, determine whether the permittee or registrant has made a reasonable effort to prevent future issuances of false alarms, and if it fails to find that such reasonable efforts have been made, it shall revoke the permit or registration of said device. The continued use of said device thereafter shall be in violation of the ordinances which require the issuance of a permit for or the registration of such devices, and the person, firm or corporation continuing to use such device shall be subject to prosecution or such other penalties as provided in those ordinances.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: See Articles I and II of this chapter.

§ 80-13 Revocation of permit or registration.

In the event that any permittee or registrant fails to pay the additional permit or registration fee assessed herein within 20 days of the delivery of the written notice of the Police Department of such assessment, the Chief of Police may revoke the permit or registration of such alarm device, and the person, firm or corporation continuing to use such device shall be subject to prosecution or such other penalty as provided in the ordinance under which the permit or registration was issued.

§ 80-14 Definitions.

For the purposes of this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

FALSE ALARM

Any alarm or signal, whether audible, visible or broadcast telephonically, activated by inadvertence, negligence, the intentional or unintentional act of a person other than an intruder and mechanical failure resulting from the improper installation or maintenance of the system.

§ 80-15 Presumption of false alarm.

It shall be presumed that a burglar alarm issued is a false alarm when no evidence is found of any attempted improper entry of the premises and also when it can be reasonably adduced that the alarm could have only resulted from either the improper or negligent installation, maintenance or operation of the system.