[Adopted 11-4-2002 by Ord. No. 1403]
The Mayor and Council hereby finds and declares
that is in the public policy of the Borough, and among the most important
responsibilities of a society, to protect its minor children. Recent
incidents have shown a continuing potential for danger and harm to
children particularly when traveling on the streets to and from school
when parents or guardians may not be present and that it is in the
public interest of the Borough to provide a system by which children
are aware of environments providing them with safe havens to remove
them from harm's way.
It is the purpose of this article to create,
together with the Borough Police Department, a program by which volunteer
citizens avail themselves and their homes as places where children
can seek protection and shelter from dangerous conditions.
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
A sticker or insignia prepared and issued by the Police Department
indicating participation in the program.
An individual who has been accepted, under the terms and
conditions of this article, to be a volunteer in the Helping Hands
Program.
A document prepared and issued by the Police Department to
a program participant.
The Helping Hands Program created by this article.
A resident seeking to become a volunteer participant
in the Helping Hands Program must be at least 21 years of age, a resident
of the Borough for at least the past four years and generally be at
home between 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily.
Applications for participation in the program
will be reviewed by the Police Department who will conduct a background
investigation of each applicant and each member of the applicant's
household who are 14 years of age or older. The investigation may
include but will not be limited to federal and state fingerprint searches.
The purpose of the investigation is to insure, as certainly as possible,
that the applicant's residence is a safe environment for children.
Approval of all applications and participation
in the program shall be in the sole discretion of the Borough Police
Chief whose decision shall be final and not subject to appeal.
The number of applications to be approved and
permits to be issued will be determined by the Chief of Police.
Participation in the program shall be subject
to renewal on a yearly basis with participation running from September
1 to August 31. All applications, including applications for renewal,
must be submitted to the Police Department on or before June 1. Exceptions
to the June 1 deadline date will be allowed at the discretion of the
Police Department for the first year of the program.
A.
Applicants who are approved for participation in the
program will receive decals issued by the Police Department which
are to be displayed at a ground level doorway or window visible from
the sidewalk or street. The Helping Hand decal shall remain displayed
until the expiration date of the applicant's permit and participation
in the program.
B.
Decals are to be removed and returned to the Police
Department upon the expiration of participation in the program. If
the Chief of Police shall determine that a participant or any member
of the participant's household is involved in any conduct which could
affect the safe environment of a child, the Chief of Police may revoke
the permit and the participant's future participation in the program.
A revocation may be appealed to the Mayor and Council.
Whenever a child shall seek assistance from
a participant, the participant or member of the participant's household
shall immediately contact the Borough Police Department. Failure to
immediately notify the Police Department shall subject the participant
to revocation of the permit for future involvement in the program.
Detailed rules and regulations providing participation
in the program shall be promulgated by the Police Department. All
participants in the program shall be responsible for complying with
all the rules and regulations of the program. If the Chief of Police
shall find that a participant has violated any of the rules and regulations,
then in that event the Chief of Police may remove the participant
from the program.
Any person violating any provision in this article,
including but not limited to surrendering decal upon expiration of
participation in the program, shall be subject to, upon conviction
thereof, a fine not exceeding $500.
