The Mayor and Council does hereby define and declare that:
A. The occupants and numerous residential, commercial and
industrial establishments in the Borough of Rutherford have found it desirable
to make provision for the installation upon their premises, at their own cost
and expense, of alarm systems for emergencies such as burglaries, fire and
like alarms.
B. There is a growing number of alarm companies that sell
or lease such alarm systems entering into contracts with such occupants for
the installation, operation and maintenance of such alarm systems and providing
for the connection of the individual alarm system so installed by them to
a central location or to an alarm panel installed in the Police Department
of the borough.
C. The number of private enterprises engaged in the alarm
business, each with its own system and equipment, has resulted in conditions
that, if not remedied, will lead to an unnecessary drain on the manpower,
time, space, facilities and finances of the borough and its Police and Fire
Departments, the deterioration of the quality of service to persons subscribing
to the alarm systems and inequities in the alarm business in the borough.
D. The public interest therefore requires the enactment
of rules, regulations, standards and procedures to regulate and control the
alarm business of the Borough of Rutherford.
The purpose of this chapter is to provide standards and regulations
for various types of burglar, fire and other emergency alarm devices, whether
by direct line, telephone or other means, actuating devices at the Police
Department of the borough and requiring a response thereto by the Police or
Fire Department or other borough departments.
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to any person, other than the municipality, who operates, maintains or owns any alarm device designed to summon the Police or Fire Department or other borough departments to any location in response to any type of alarm signal. The terms of this chapter shall in no way prohibit alarm companies from providing services by private source to other offices within or without the borough so long as such activity is not connected to any alarm panel, alarm register or special telephone connected with the Police or Fire Department or other municipal department which presently exists or will be installed at any of the said borough departments. Any persons having premises protected by a local alarm shall be responsible for the registration thereof in accordance with §
6-9 of this chapter.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
ALARM DEVICE
Any type of alarm equipment which actuates the alarm panel or special
telephone located in the borough's communications console for providing warning
of intrusion, fire, smoke, flood or other peril.
ALARM PANEL
That component or components to be installed in the console in the
Police Department and containing alarm indications and designations.
ALARM SYSTEM
The installation in one or more buildings of one or more alarm devices
for the express purpose of giving visual or audible warning, or both, of an
emergency such as burglary, intrusion, fire, smoke, flood or like perils.
COMMUNICATIONS CONSOLE
The console or control panel of devices giving visual or audio indications,
or both, and general communications and located within the confines of the
Police Department of the borough.
DIAL ALARM
That type of alarm device that employs an automatic dialing system
precoded to connect with a special telephone in the borough's communications
console rather than to the alarm panel.
FALSE ALARMS
The actuation of an alarm system by causes other than those to which
the alarm system was designed or intended to respond, which summon the Police
or Fire Department or other municipal department to investigate.
LICENSEE
The person obtaining the license to install, operate and maintain
the alarm panel as hereinafter set forth.
LOCAL ALARM
Any alarm or device which, when actuated, produces an external visible
or audible signal and which is not connected to the alarm panel in the borough's
communications console, such as but not limited to independent burglar and/or
fire alarms.
PERMITTEE
Any person owning or leasing an alarm system and holding a permit
to connect said device to a special telephone (dial alarm) or the alarm panel
within the scope of this chapter.
PERSON
Includes any natural person, partnership, corporation or association
or any other legal entity.
Upon adoption of this chapter, the Purchasing Agent, after consulting
with the Chief of Police and Fire Department, shall issue written specifications
covering the alarm panel hereinbefore referred to and submit the same to the
Borough Council for approval, and, after advertising and bidding, in accordance
with the Local Public Contracts Law, the alarm panel license shall be issued by the Borough Clerk to
the licensee in accordance with said specifications and upon resolution adopted
by the Mayor and Council.
No person shall install, operate or maintain any alarm system, except
the borough, unless the alarm system has been registered with the Police Chief
as follows:
A. Alarm panel systems. Any alarm system connected to the
alarm panel shall be deemed registered at such time as the permit therefor
is issued.
B. Dial alarms. A dial alarm system shall be deemed registered
when the annual dial alarm fee is remitted to the borough and the system has
been approved by the Police Chief.
C. Local alarms. A local alarm shall be deemed registered
when the occupant of the building in which it is installed shall have filed
with the Police Chief a registration form which shall include, among other
data, the location of the device, the name of the installer of said device,
the type of device, provisions relating to false alarms and testing procedures,
a list of persons to be contacted in the event of an alarm and other pertinent
information as may be required by the Police Chief.
(1) Local alarms shall be registered, but no fees shall be
charged therefor.
(2) Registrants of local alarms shall be governed by the false alarm procedure and penalties set forth in §
6-7J of this chapter.
(3) All local alarms installed after adoption of this chapter
shall be equipped with a time relay device which limits the sounding of alarms
to 30 minutes or less.
(4) Registrants of local alarms, upon registration, shall
be deemed as having consented to inspection of the alarm device upon request
and at reasonable hours by the Police Chief, the Fire Prevention Chief or
their designated representatives.
[Amended 10-5-1993 by Ord.
No. 2685-93]
Every person, firm or corporation who violates or fails to comply with
any of the provisions of this chapter of the Code for which no other specific
penalty is provided shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to a fine in
an amount not exceeding $100 for each violation or imprisonment in the county
jail for a period not exceeding 10 days, in the discretion of the court.
[Added 3-15-1983 by Ord.
No. 2338-83]
All houses of worship shall be exempt from paying any fees payable to
the borough called for under the provisions of this chapter of the Code.