The purpose of this chapter is to provide current standards
and regulations for various types of intrusion or burglary alarm systems
which require a response by the Police Department. The provisions
of this chapter shall apply to burglary and intrusion alarm businesses
and to any person who operates, maintains or owns any burglary or
intrusion alarm device, dial alarm or local alarm designed to produce
a visual or audible signal of an unauthorized entry or designated
to summon the Police Department to any location in response to any
burglary or intrusion type of alarm signal. This chapter is also intended
to reduce the number of false alarms which unduly burden the Township's
law enforcement resources.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meaning indicated:
A person or persons designated by the Manalapan Township
Police Department to administer, control and review false alarm reduction
efforts and administer the provisions of this chapter.
A person subject to the licensing requirements of the chapter
and/or company engaged in selling, leasing, installing, servicing
or monitoring alarm systems.
A detectable signal; audible or visual, generated by an alarm
system, to which law enforcement is requested to respond.
Any single device or assembly of equipment designed to signal
the occurrence of an illegal or unauthorized entry or other illegal
activity requiring immediate attention and to which law enforcement
is requested to respond, but does not include motor vehicle or boat
alarms, fire alarms, domestic violence alarms, or alarms designed
to elicit a medical response.
Any person, corporation, partnership, proprietorship, governmental
or educational entity or any other entity owning, leasing or operating
an alarm system, or on whose premises an alarm system is maintained
for the protection of such premises.
A class conducted in person or online for the purpose of
educating alarm users about the responsible use, operation, and maintenance
of alarm systems and the problems created by false alarms.
An automatic dialing device or an automatic telephone dialing
alarm system including any system which, upon being activated, automatically
initiates to the Manalapan Township Police Department a recorded message
or code signal indicating a need for law enforcement response.
The process by which response is terminated when the alarm
company designated by the alarm user notifies the Manalapan Township
Police Department that there is not an existing situation at the alarm
site requiring police response after an alarm dispatch request. If
cancellation occurs prior to police arriving at the scene, this is
not a false alarm for the purpose of a civil penalty, and no penalty
will be assessed.
The activation of an alarm system through mechanical or electronic
failure, malfunction, improper installation, or the negligence of
the alarm user, his/her employees or agents, and signals activated
to summon law enforcement personnel unless law enforcement response
was cancelled by the user's alarm company before law enforcement
personnel arrived at the alarm location. An alarm is false within
the meaning of this chapter when, upon inspection by the Manalapan
Township Police Department, evidence indicates that no unauthorized
entry, robbery, or other such crime was committed or attempted in
or on the premises which would have activated a properly functioning
alarm system. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a false alarm shall not
include an alarm which can reasonably be determined to have been caused
or activated by unusually violent conditions of nature or other extraordinary
circumstances not reasonably subject to control by the alarm user.
An alarm system that emits a signal at an alarm site that
is audible or visible from the exterior of a structure and is not
monitored by a remote monitoring facility, whether installed by an
alarm company or user.
A twelve-month period beginning on July 1 and ending on June
30 in the following year.
An alarm system that produces repeated alarm signals that
do not appear to be caused by separate human action.
The American National Standard Institute (ANSI) approved
Security Industry Association (SIA) CP-01 Control Panel Standard,
as may be updated from time to time, that details recommended design
features for security system control panels and their associated arming
and disarming devices to reduce false alarms. Control panels built
and tested to this standard by a nationally recognized testing organization
will be marked to state: "Design evaluated in accordance with SIA
CP-01 Control Panel Standard Features for False Alarm Reduction."
Manalapan Township or its agent.
An attempt by the monitoring company, or its representative,
to contact the alarm site and/or alarm user by telephone and/or other
electronic means, whether or not actual contact with a person is made,
to attempt to determine whether an alarm signal is valid before requesting
law enforcement dispatch, in an attempt to avoid an unnecessary alarm
dispatch request. For the purpose of this chapter, telephone verification
shall require, as a minimum, that a second call be made to a different
number if the first attempt fails to reach an alarm user who can properly
identify themselves to attempt to determine whether an alarm signal
is valid before requesting law enforcement dispatch.
The Township of Manalapan shall be under no duty or obligation
to any permittee or to any registrant. The alarm console and allied
equipment are maintained at will and are subject to termination at
any time by cancellation of the system by ordinance duly adopted by
the Township Committee of the Township of Manalapan.
