[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of
the City of Somers Point 4-14-1983 by Ord. No. 4-1983 (Ch. 3A of 1967 compilation).
Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Noise — See Ch. 188.
This chapter shall be known as the "Somers Point
Police and Fire Alarm Ordinance."
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Any burglary, fire or other alarm causing direct notification
to the City of Somers Point Police Department through its master alarm
panel, caused by misuse, accidental activation, inadvertence, negligence,
lack of proper maintenance or any unintentional act of someone other
than an intruder or by malfunctions of the alarm device or other relevant
and related equipment, to which police and/or firemen respond which
is not the result of a fire or burglary or attempted burglary.
All fire, police or other alarms in the City
of Somers Point shall comply with this chapter.
A.
Installation of automatic protection devices. No automatic
protection devices installed after the effective date of this chapter
shall be keyed to a primary or secondary phone line of the Somers
Point Police Department.
B.
Automatic protection devices utilizing voice recordings.
Automatic protection devices that utilize voice recordings are prohibited
from being keyed to any primary, secondary, direct, leased or designated
trunk lines at the City of Somers Point Police Department.
The time for transmitting each digital electric
or electronic message shall not exceed five seconds.
Within 120 days from the effective date of this
chapter, existing automatic protection devices in the city shall be
disconnected from primary and secondary phone lines at the expense
of the owner or lessee.
A.
Automatic protection devices that use the services
of intermediaries (live-voice central dispatch) are prohibited from
using any primary or secondary phone lines at the Somers Point Police
Department.
B.
The purpose of this section is to have all alarms
of whatever nature connected to the master alarm panel situated at
the Police Department. All persons who desire alarm service from the
Somers Point Police Department must make proper application and receive
a permit to be connected to the master alarm panel.
All owners or lessees must equip audible alarms
with a timing mechanism that will disengage the audible alarm after
a maximum period of 15 minutes. Audible alarms without such timing
mechanism shall be unlawful in the City of Somers Point and must be
disconnected by the owner or lessee within 120 days from the effective
date of this chapter.
The Police Department and/or Fire Department
shall investigate all alarms and shall maintain a log as to each owner
or lessee and record therein the date and time of the alarm, nature
thereof and department responding.
Any person, corporation, partnership or other
entity who owns or controls a fire, burglary or other similar alarm
or device, in the City of Somers Point, which causes six false alarms
in any calendar year shall be deemed in violation of the provisions
of this chapter for each false alarm thereafter.
No person shall conduct any test or demonstration
of any alarm without having first obtained approval from the Somers
Point Police Department.
Owners and lessees of existing and future installations
of audible alarms shall provide, on a form prescribed by the Chief
of Police, a list of two names of persons to be contacted in the event
of activation of said alarm. The owner or lessee shall keep the list
updated and notify the Chief of Police or his designee within three
days of any change.
A.
Penalties.
(1)
False alarms. Any person, corporation, partnership or entity violating § 71-10, Limit on false alarms, of this chapter for a first offense (seventh false alarm in one calendar year) shall pay a fine of $50; for a second offense (eighth false alarm in one calendar year) shall pay a fine of $100; for a third and subsequent offense (ninth false alarm and beyond) shall pay a fine of not less than $200 nor more than $500. Penalties for first and second violations may be paid through the Violations Bureau.
[Amended 12-11-2008 by Ord. No. 28-2008]
(2)
All others. Any person, corporation, partnership or
entity violating any other provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction,
be subject to a fine not to exceed $1,000 or to imprisonment for a
term not to exceed 90 days or to a period of community service not
to exceed 90 days, or any combination of the foregoing.
[Amended 3-14-1991 by Ord. No. 6-1991]
B.
Continuing offense. Upon conviction, a violator shall
have seven days to either remove the alarm or bring it into compliance
with this chapter. Failure to do so shall constitute a new and subsequent
offense.
C.
Jurisdiction. The Municipal Court of the City of Somers
Point shall have jurisdiction over this chapter.
