A.
The purpose of this article is to provide standards and regulations
for various types of intrusion, burglar, fire and other emergency
alarm devices, whether by direct line, radio, telephone or other means
or methods, actuating a device at the Burlington County Central Dispatch
Center or at such other designated dispatch center which requires
a response thereto by the Police Department, the Fire Department or
other municipal agency.
B.
The purpose of this article is to provide standards and regulations
for various types of intrusion, burglar and other emergency alarm
equipment, whether by producing a visual or audible signal of an emergency
or designed to summon the Police Department, Fire Department or other
municipal agencies to any location in response to any type of alarm
signal.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
The console or control panel of devices giving a visual or
audible response, or both, and located within the Burlington County
Central Dispatch Center and/or any other location recognized by all
parties herein.
Any type of alarm system actuating equipment in the alarm
console or Police Department telephone system that provides warning
of intrusion, fire, smoke, flood or other peril.
Any alarm device, alarm system or combinations thereof installed
for one or more buildings at a location other than the alarm console.
Equipment or a device or an assembly of equipment and devices
designed to signal the presence of an emergency or a hazard requiring
urgent attention and to which the Police Department, Fire Department
or other municipal agency may be expected to respond.
Any type of alarm system using telephone lines transmitting
an alarm directly through to the switchboard at the Burlington County
Central Dispatch Center or at such other designated dispatch center,
providing warning of intrusion, fire, smoke, flood or other peril
by way of recorded voice message.
A microprocessor-controlled alarm switch designed to connect
to a console or central station.
Any alarm or signal of an alarm system except for a medical
alert system actuated by inadvertence, negligence or the intentional
or unintentional act of a person other than an intruder and including,
as well, alarms caused by mechanical failure, malfunctioning or improper
installation of the alarm system and related equipment, but not including
alarms created by mechanical failure, malfunctioning or improper installation
of the alarm console.
Any alarm or device which, when actuated, produces a signal
not connected to the alarm console
Any type of two-way speaker which is plugged into a phone
jack and activated by a necklace or wrist band worn by a natural person.
Any person owning an alarm device, alarm system, local alarm
or medical alert system within the scope of this article.
Includes any natural person, partnership, corporation, professional
association or any other legal entity.
A.
Any person who owns or operates an alarm device, an alarm system,
medical alert system, or a local alarm shall make application in writing
to the Chief of Police of the Borough of Riverton on a form provided
by the Police Department, which application shall contain a list of
persons to be contacted in the event of an alarm.
B.
Registration is required for local alarms.
C.
For alarm devices, the registrant shall pay all charges required
by any alarm company or alarm provider for installation and all false
alarm charges.
D.
Any applicant who registers an alarm device, an alarm system, medical
alert system, or a local alarm shall be deemed to have released the
Borough of Riverton, and any of its employees, from any liability
or damages arising from, or on account of, the use and maintenance
of the alarm console and related activities, and said applicant shall
indemnify and hold the Borough of Riverton harmless from, and on account
of, any and all damages arising therefrom.
E.
All registration information provided by an applicant shall be confidential
and not disclosed to the public so as to ensure the protection of
the public interest.
F.
Owners of dial alarm devices shall be governed by the false alarm
procedures and penalties set forth in this article.
G.
Any person having an alarm device which is not registered shall,
upon the discovery of its installation, receive notice in writing
from the Chief of Police requiring the owner to comply with the terms
of this article, and if the owner fails to do so within 30 days of
the receipt of said notice, he or she shall then be liable to pay
the Borough of Riverton a penalty as provided herein.
A.
No person shall use, cause to be used or permit to be used any telephone
device or telephone attachment that automatically terminates in any
private establishment or telephone answering service and which is
relayed by the recipient of the alarm by placing a call to the Police
Department of the Borough of Riverton, through the Burlington County
Central Dispatch System, without having first obtained a written permit
from the Chief of Police.
B.
Any permittee shall, by acceptance of the permit, be deemed as having
consented to the inspection of the premises on which said alarm devices
are installed at reasonable hours by the Chief of Police or his designated
representative.
A.
Dial alarms shall only be coded to dial a special separate number,
which can be obtained by the Chief of the Police Department for the
Borough of Riverton or by his or her agent, and no dial alarm shall
be coded to dial the number of the general police switchboard of the
Borough of Riverton.
B.
The message must conform to an approved format upon application.
C.
The total length of the message shall not exceed 15 seconds.
D.
A message is to be received by police headquarters, or the phone
system handling calls for police headquarters, twice, but no more
than three times.
E.
In the event that any person has an unregistered dial alarm device
in existence at the time of the passage of this article, he or she
shall have 30 days in which to register the device with the Chief
of Police or his or her designee. Any person not so complying shall
be liable to a penalty payable to the Borough of Riverton as provided
herein.
F.
All components of such equipment must be in good repair, and when
evidence exists that there has been a failure to comply with the operation
of or the requirements of this article, the Chief of Police, or his
or her agent, shall demand that such device be disconnected until
such time as compliance with current requirements is established.
A.
All local devices, alarms, equipment or systems shall be registered
with the Police Department for the Borough of Riverton, and all information
required with respect to such registration shall be provided and kept
current by the applicant or registrant.
B.
All local alarms shall have an automatic silencing or cutoff device
which shall silence any audible signaling device within 15 minutes
after activation of the audible signaling device.
Any permittee utilizing any alarm system except for a medical
alert system shall provide for a repairman to be on call at all times,
and such service shall be provided within eight hours of notification
of the permittee by the Police Department of the Borough of Riverton
of any malfunction in any equipment.
A.
Penalties. In the event of a false alarm, any person having knowledge
thereof shall immediately notify the Police Department of the Borough
of Riverton in a manner to be prescribed by the rules and regulations
in accordance with this chapter. The penalties are as follows:
(1)
First and second false alarm. For the first and second false alarm
in a twelve-month period, a warning shall be issued.
(2)
Third false alarm. For the third alarm in a twelve-month period,
a fine of $50 shall be paid to the Borough of Riverton.
(3)
Fourth and subsequent false alarms. For the fourth and any subsequent
false alarm in a twelve-month period, a fine of $100 shall be paid
to the Borough of Riverton.
B.
Recordkeeping. In the case of false alarms, the Chief of Police shall
cause an investigation to be made and shall keep a record of said
alarms on file, and the Chief shall maintain those investigation reports
and records on file.
C.
Habitual offenders.
(1)
Where the investigation of the Police Department in and for the Borough
of Riverton discloses continued abuse of the privilege of connection
to the alarm console and a disregard of the permittee for taking remedial
steps to avoid false alarms, the Chief of Police shall have the right
to require disconnection from the telephone system or alarm console
for a limited time or permanently, conditioned on 10 days' written
notice by the Chief of Police to the permittee; provided, however,
that no such permit shall be revoked or suspended without giving the
permittee an opportunity to show cause before the Chief of Police
or his designee as to why such action should not be taken.
(2)
The Chief of Police shall have the right to refuse service to any
and all habitual false alarm offenders and to disconnect any malfunctioning
element from the alarm console until such time as the malfunction
has been corrected, as well as refusing response to such habitual
false alarm offenders.
Any unregistered alarm device, alarm system, local alarm or
dial alarm may be discontinued by the Chief of Police for noncompliance
with this article, and any person installing or maintaining unauthorized
equipment shall be prosecuted for violation of this article. For each
day that said equipment is in operation, a separate violation shall
be considered to have occurred.
A.
For a subscriber's failure or refusal to provide a response to a
police summons to deactivate an alarm, a penalty of $50 for the first
offense and disconnection for a second or subsequent offense shall
be imposed. In the event of a local alarm disconnection, it must be
approved by the Police Department of the Borough of Riverton or said
subscriber will be subject to penalty as provided herein.
B.
Failure to pay any of the charges provided for herein will subject
the subscriber to disconnection.
C.
The Borough shall not be responsible for any related fees charged
the applicant for installation, maintenance or signal transmission.
The Chief of Police is empowered to promulgate written rules
and regulations, subject to the knowledge of Borough Council, in order
to provide for recordkeeping and efficient operation and management
of said system.
A.
Only the person concerned or his or her designated agents and employees
shall exercise the privilege.
B.
The applicant shall maintain his or her alarm equipment in good condition
and repair and maintain an adequate work force and equipment to repair,
maintain and service such equipment.
C.
Permits cannot be assigned or transferred in any manner.
D.
An excessive number of false alarms will be penalized as provided
for herein and will subject the subscriber to disconnection.
E.
No subscriber will fail or refuse to respond to a police summons
with reference to deactivating an alarm, whether or not the same is
legitimately or falsely activated, and without regard to the type
of alarm.
A.
The Chief of Police shall cause an investigation to be made and shall
issue a permit if it is found that the system in the police switchboard
or in the Police Department will not jam the switchboard, constitute
a nuisance or otherwise interfere with or hinder the proper operation
of the work of the Riverton Police Department.
B.
All such permits issued under this article shall expire on December
31 of each year in which the same may be granted. Thereafter the Police
Chief may issue a renewal permit, provided that, on or before December
31 of the succeeding year, a written request is made for renewal of
the permit.
A.
Any permit issued under the provisions of this article may be suspended
or revoked by the Police Chief.
B.
Suspension or revocation of the permit by the Police Chief, as provided
for above, may occur when:
(1)
The permittee and/or his or her agents and employees willfully failed
or did not comply with the request by a member of the Police Department
to proceed immediately to the location of the permittee's alarm and
render necessary services.
(2)
The permittee and/or his or her agents and employees knowingly installed
or maintained a faulty alarm device or system. An excessive number
of false alarms shall be prima facie evidence that such alarm device
or system is known to be faulty.
(3)
The permittee has breached the terms and conditions of the permit
or has failed to comply with departmental rules or other provisions
of this article, or the privilege so granted has been abused to the
detriment of the public.
C.
This section shall not apply to medical alert systems.
Any person aggrieved by the action of the Police Chief in denying
a permit, or in the suspension or revocation of any permit provided
for by this article, may appeal to the Councilman designated as Director
of Public Safety, or his or her designee, by serving such written
notice of such appeal upon the Chief of Police and the Borough Municipal
Clerk.
A.
Notwithstanding the payment of any charge as herein required and/or
the receipt or issuance of any permit as herein required, the Police
Department of the Borough of Riverton, and the Borough of Riverton,
shall be under no obligation whatsoever concerning the adequacy, operation
or maintenance of the device or devices so installed, and the Borough
of Riverton, and its authorized agents, hereby assumes no liability
whatsoever for any failure of any such equipment, or failure to respond
to any such alarms, or for any act of omission or commission as a
result of any such alarm, device or system.
B.
The applicant or permittee, upon the acceptance of such permit, hereby
agrees to hold and save harmless the Borough of Riverton and its agents
or employees, from any liability whatsoever in connection with any
such alarm system or the operation of the same.
Except as otherwise provided, any person found guilty in a court
of competent jurisdiction of violating the terms of this article shall
be subject to a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment for a
period not in excess of 90 days, community service, or any combination
thereof.
[Added 2-8-2017 by Ord.
No. O-2017-01]
A.
Position created. The position of Police Chaplain for the Borough
of Riverton is hereby created in accordance with N.J.S.A. 40A:14-141.
The position shall be a volunteer position. The position of Police
Chaplain shall be subject to the control and direction of the Chief
of Police.
B.
Qualifications. Any person appointed as Police Chaplain shall be
an ordained clergyman/clergywoman in good standing with the religious
body from which he/she is selected. The Police Chaplain shall receive
training in the position and should have basic knowledge of the duties
of law enforcement officers. The Police Chaplain shall conform to
all police procedures and departmental regulations, in so far as application,
and shall be credentialed in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A.
40A:14-141.
C.
Duties.
(1)
The Police Chaplain is requested to perform the following duties
and any other duties that may be assigned by the Chief of Police.
(2)
Assist the Riverton Police Department in making notifications to
families concerning serious injury or death;
(3)
Visit sick or injured police personnel at home or in the hospital;
(4)
Attend and participate in funerals of active and retired members
of the Police Department;
(5)
Counsel police personnel regarding personnel problems and station
house adjustments;
(6)
Coordinate and conduct memorial services;
(7)
Participate in in-service training programs;
(8)
Attend department functions such as graduations, promotions, and
awards ceremonies;
(9)
Assist in programs and counseling targeted at youthful offenders;
(10)
Assist in enhancing public relations and community outreach;
(11)
Meet with the Chief of Police and other police personnel on
a regular basis for the purpose of ongoing evaluation, development
of programs, and discussion of departmental morale;
D.
Rank and salary. Any person appointed as Police Chaplain shall serve
in the capacity without rank or salary.
E.
Term of office. A person appointed as Police Chaplain shall serve
at the pleasure of the Governing Body and for a period of one year
from the date of appointment and shall continue in that capacity until
he/she resigns, is terminated, or is reappointed by the Governing
Body at the recommendation of the Chief of Police. Notwithstanding
the forgoing, the position shall be an "at-will" position, and the
appointment of Police Chaplain may be terminated without cause.
F.
Appointment. The Chief of Police may recommend to the Governing Body
persons that he/she believes meet the qualifications of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-141
and 40A:14-122. All applicants for the position shall be interviewed
by the Chief of Police and his/her designee(s) to determine the applicant's
qualifications in accordance with this section. The Governing Body
shall appoint Police Chaplains in accordance with this section with
the advice and consent of the Chief of Police.
