[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Woodcliff Lake 9-3-1975 by Ord. No. 75-10; amended in its entirety 3-21-1977 by Ord. No. 77-1 (Ch. 60 of the 1985 Code). Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fire Department — See Ch. 30.
Police Department — See Ch. 47.
Fees — See Ch. 163.
Fire prevention — See Ch. 178.
The purpose of this chapter is to provide standards and regulations for various types of burglar, fire, smoke and other emergency alarm devices within the municipality, other than those installed in banks and savings and loan associations required to have alarm devices by other governmental agencies.
This chapter shall apply to any person who operates, maintains or owns any burglar, fire, smoke or other warning device designed to summon the Police Department, Fire Department or other municipal agencies to any location in response to the alarm.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
DIAL ALARM
That type of device using a telephone system to transmit an alarm directly to the Woodcliff Lake Police Department, Woodcliff Lake Fire Department and/or the triborough radio dispatching station.
DIRECT ALARM
That type of device which, when activated, signals the Woodcliff Lake Police Department, Woodcliff Lake Fire Department and/or the triborough radio dispatching station directly by use of an electronic or radio signal.
FALSE ALARM
Any alarm activated by inadvertence, negligence, malfunction of the alarm device or unintentional act of someone other than an intruder in the premises which is protected by the alarm device, but shall not include any alarm caused by hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or other violent natural conditions or by general interruptions of electrical power or telephone service.
[Amended 10-19-1981 by Ord. No. 81-11; 11-20-1984 by Ord. No. 84-9]
LOCAL ALARM
That type of device which, when activated, produces a visual and/or noise signal that can be heard or seen beyond the property line of the premises where it is installed and is not transmitted in any manner to the Woodcliff Lake Police Department, Woodcliff Lake Fire Department and/or the triborough radio dispatching station.
PERSON
Includes any natural person, partnership, corporation, association, business, club or organization, other than banks and savings and loan associations required to have alarm devices by other governmental agencies.
A. 
No person shall install or operate within the Borough of Woodcliff Lake a dial alarm, direct alarm or local alarm without a permit and registration of the alarm with the Woodcliff Lake Police Department.
B. 
Every dial alarm, direct alarm or local alarm installed or maintained within the Borough of Woodcliff Lake shall be in a sound operating condition, free from defects which may cause a false alarm.
C. 
Any person who owns or operates a dial alarm, direct alarm or local alarm within the Borough of Woodcliff Lake shall designate a person or persons who can be reached in the case of a malfunction of the alarm in order that the alarm can be temporarily disconnected.
D. 
In the event that a person who owns or operates a dial alarm, direct alarm or local alarm within the Borough of Woodcliff Lake shall have his alarm repaired or tested, he shall first notify the Woodcliff Lake Police Department before such repairs or tests are made and after such repairs or tests are completed in order to avoid a false alarm.
E. 
All alarms must dial directly only into special unlisted numbers supplied by the Woodcliff Lake Police Department.
[Added 10-19-1981 by Ord. No. 81-11]
A. 
Any person who owns or operates or wishes to install a dial alarm, direct alarm or local alarm within the Borough of Woodcliff Lake shall first make application for the continuance or installation of such alarm, in writing, to the Woodcliff Lake Police Department. Such application shall be made upon forms provided by the Woodcliff Lake Police Department, which shall require:
(1) 
The location of the alarm.
(2) 
The type of alarm.
(3) 
The names, addresses and telephone numbers of persons who can be reached in case of malfunction of the equipment in order that the alarm may be temporarily disconnected.
(4) 
Any additional information that may be reasonably required concerning the installation, operation, testing and functioning of the alarm.
B. 
Upon the completion and filing of the registration, the Woodcliff Lake Police Department shall issue a permit for the installation and operation of the alarm.
C. 
A fee as provided in Ch. 163, Fees, shall be charged for the registration of a dial alarm, direct alarm or local alarm.
[Amended 10-19-1981 by Ord. No. 81-11; 4-15-1985 by Ord. No. 85-4]
D. 
In the event of a change in ownership or occupancy of any structure having an alarm required to be registered under this chapter, the new owner or occupant of such structure shall reregister the alarm with the Woodcliff Lake Police Department within 30 days after receiving written notice from the Police Department of the registration requirements of this chapter.
[Added 10-19-1981 by Ord. No. 81-11; amended 11-16-1981 by Ord. No. 81-14]
A. 
Any person who owns or operates a dial alarm, direct alarm or local alarm shall be liable for the penalties set forth in § 80-7 for any false alarm caused by such alarm device.
B. 
In the case of a false alarm, any person having knowledge thereof shall immediately notify the Woodcliff Lake Police Department, Woodcliff Lake Fire Department and/or the triborough radio dispatching station.
C. 
The Woodcliff Lake Police Department shall cause an investigation to be made of all false alarms and their causes, maintain a record of each false alarm for each alarm device and make such records available to the Woodcliff Lake Municipal Court for the use of the Court when imposing penalties for violations of this chapter under the provisions of § 80-7 of this chapter.
[Amended 10-19-1981 by Ord. No. 81-11; 11-16-1981 by Ord. No. 81-14; 11-20-1984 by Ord. No. 84-9; 12-17-1998 by Ord. No. 98-13]
A. 
Any person who owns or operates a dial alarm, direct alarm or local alarm which causes a false alarm shall not be subject to any penalty if the alarm activates for no apparent reason for the first three times within a calendar year, it will be presumed the alarm was working for the purpose for which it was designed. On the fourth time an alarm shall activate during any calendar year for no apparent reason, a summons will be issued and the owner liable for a penalty of $100. For the fifth or more additional times an alarm shall activate during any calendar year for no apparent reason, the owner shall be liable for a penalty of $400.
B. 
Anyone owning an alarm within the Borough of Woodcliff Lake shall be responsible for the cancellation of said alarm when activation occurs. The burden and obligation of providing the Police Department with current and updated lists of persons available for canceling or disconnecting the alarm lie solely with the alarm owner or operator. Failure to cancel or disconnect an alarm which continues unabated after the activation thereof, within one hour from the time said alarm activation is reported to the Police Department between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., and one half hour between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., will result in the issuance of a summons and imposing of a penalty of $200 for each offense.
In the event of four or more malfunctions of a dial alarm, direct alarm or local alarm device which cause four or more false alarms in one calendar year, it shall be presumed that said alarm device is unreliable and the Mayor and Council may require the owner or operator to remove or disconnect said alarm device. The owner or operator of such alarm device shall have the right to request a hearing, at which time he may submit evidence to the Mayor and Council concerning the reliability of the alarm device.