Township of Warwick, PA Alarm Systems

Any individual, partnership, unincorporated association, corporation, trust or other legally recognized entity in control of any premises having an audible alarm system or automatic protection device which notifies the Police Department or Fire Department, either directly or indirectly, and requires the response of the Police, Fire Department or rescue companies.

ANSWERING SERVICE

A service whereby trained employees, in attendance at all times, receive prerecorded messages or signals from automatic protection devices reporting an emergency at a stated location and have the duty to relay immediately by live voice any such emergency to the Police Department, Fire Department or rescue company.

AUDIBLE ALARM

Any device, bell, horn or siren which is attached to the interior or exterior of a building and emits a warning signal audible outside the building and is designed to attract attention when activated by a criminal act or other emergency requiring police, fire fighters or rescue company to respond.

AUTOMATIC PROTECTION DEVICE

An electrically operated instrument, composed of sensory apparatus and related hardware, which automatically transmits a prerecorded voice alarm over regular telephone line by direct or indirect connections to the Police Department, Fire Department, central station protective systems or answering service upon receipt of a stimulus from a sensory apparatus that has detected a physical force or condition inherently characteristic of a fire, intrusion or other hazard.

CENTRAL STATION PROTECTIVE SYSTEMS

A protective system or group of such systems operated privately for customers by a person, firm or corporation which maintains supervisors and accepts recorded messages or signals from automatic protection devices at a central station having trained operators and guards in attendance at all times that have the duty to take appropriate action upon the receipt of a message or signal, including the relaying of messages by a designated or direct trunk line to the communications center of the Police Department.

FALSE ALARM

Any signal activated by an automatic protection device, any audible alarm or any other kind of direct or indirect signal given the police or fire communications center to which police or firefighters or rescue companies respond, which signal or alarm is not the result of a burglary, fire, robbery or similar emergency or which is not the result of a power surge or failure, lightening strike or other uncontrollable event.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

Any Fire Department or fire company which responds to alarms within the Township of Warwick.

PERSON

Any individual, partnership, corporation, association or other legally recognized entity.

POLICE DEPARTMENT

The Police Department of the Township of Warwick.[1]

SECRETARY

The Secretary of the Township of Warwick.

TOWNSHIP

The Township of Warwick, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

TREASURER

The Treasurer of the Township of Warwick.

[1]

Editor's Note: Resolution No. 12-21-11-04 dissolved the Warwick Township Police Department, effective 12-31-2011, and Ord. No. 256, adopted 9-19-2012, provided for the changing of references in the Township Code from the Warwick Township Police Department to the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department (or any successor entity whose primary jurisdiction includes the territorial limits of the Township).

In interpretation of this chapter, the singular shall include the plural and the masculine shall include the feminine and the neuter.

§ 80-3 Alarms without timing mechanisms prohibited.

Owners or lessees of premises equipped with audible alarms must equip such audible alarms with a timing mechanism that will disengage the audible alarm after a maximum period of 15 minutes until the alarm is serviced or reset. Audible alarms without such a timing device shall be unlawful in the Township and must be deactivated by the owners or lessees of the premises within 60 days from the effective date of this chapter.

§ 80-4 Alarm user ordinance registration. [1]

[Amended 10-1-2014 by Ord. No. 265; 3-18-2015 by Ord. No. 271]

It shall be unlawful for a property owner, lessee of a property or a person otherwise occupying any premises within the Township to put an automatic protection device or audible alarm system into operation on his premises or to allow an automatic protection device or audible alarm system to be put into operation on his/her premises without first registering the alarm system with the Township.

Within 30 days after the effective date of this chapter, every alarm user shall register each alarm system he/she operates within this Township with the Township. This subsection does not require that alarm equipment suppliers register under this section when such alarm equipment supplier leases or provides services to alarm system users. If an alarm equipment supplier does, however, use an alarm system to protect its own premises, it shall register such system as required in this section.

Alarm user registration procedure.

(1)

The alarm user making the registration required in § 80-4A shall complete the registration form provided by the Township which shall include the alarm user's name, the address of the residence or business or businesses in or upon which the alarm system has been or will be installed, the alarm user's telephone number, the type of alarm system, the alarm equipment supplier selling, installing, monitoring, inspecting, responding to and/or maintaining the alarm system, the central station protective system utilized, if any, and the name and telephone number of at least two other persons who can be reached at any time and who are authorized to respond to an alarm system and who shall respond and open the premises in which the system is installed.

(2)

If the alarm system is to be leased or rented from or is to be serviced pursuant to a service agreement by a person other than the person making application for an alarm user permit, the name, address and telephone number of that person must be stated in the application.

(3)

Each person submitting an application for an alarm user permit shall submit a signed statement in the following form:

I/We, the undersigned applicant(s) for an alarm user permit, intending to be legally bound hereby, agree with the Township of Warwick that neither I/we nor anyone claiming by, through or under me/us, shall make any claim against the Township of Warwick, its officials or agents for any damage caused to the premises at which the automatic protection device or audible alarm systems is situated at a time when said premises are or appear to be unattended or when, in the discretion of said employees, the circumstances appear to warrant a forced entry.

Any alarm user who installs an automatic protection device or audible alarm system 30 days or more after the effective date of this section shall submit with the registration a certificate of a licensed alarm equipment supplier stating that in the opinion of such alarm equipment supplier the automatic protection device or audible alarm system complies with this chapter.

Any alarm user who has registered under this chapter shall promptly notify the Township of any change in the information supplied on the alarm user permit application.

Forms used pursuant to this registration procedure shall be provided to the Township by the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department for distribution to applicants. The content of the forms shall comply with the requirements of this chapter for required information capture and retention consistent with administrative practices and statutory requirements.

Completed forms shall be returned to the Township for processing, distribution, and retention.

The Board of Supervisors may delegate the administration of this section to the Police Department by resolution, which delegation may be revoked at any time.[2]

[2]

Editor’s Note: Resolution No. 03-18-15-01, adopted 3-18-2015, delegated administration of this section to the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department.

[1]

Editor's Note: Former § 80-4, Remote controlled fences and gates, was repealed 3-18-2015 by Ord. No. 271. This ordinance also redesignated former §§ 80-5 through 80-7 as §§ 80-4 through 80-6, respectively.

§ 80-5 False alarm fees.

[Amended 11-19-1997 by Ord. No. 178; 3-18-2015 by Ord. No. 271]

In order to defray the costs to the Township resulting from responding to false alarms, a fee shall be imposed against the alarm user after response to each false alarm. Such fee shall be in an amount set by resolution of the Board of Supervisors of the Township. The Board of Supervisors may delegate the administration of this section to the Police Department by resolution, which delegation may be revoked at any time.[1] If the Board of Supervisors delegates the administration of this section to the Police Department, the Police Department shall have the power to send bills, collect fees, remit fees to the Township, inform the Township if fees are not paid, and take other appropriate action. The Police Department shall not have the power to institute collection actions for unpaid fees.

[1]

Editor’s Note: Resolution No. 03-18-15-01, adopted 3-18-2015, delegated administration of this section to the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department.

§ 80-6 Violations and penalties.

[Amended 11-19-1988 by Ord. No. 133; 11-19-1997 by Ord. No. 178; 10-1-2014 by Ord. No. 265; 3-18-2015 by Ord. No. 271]

If the Board of Supervisors determines that a person has committed or permitted the commission of a violation of this chapter, including, but not limited to, failure to register pursuant to § 80-4 or pay false alarm fees, the Board of Supervisors shall inform such person in writing of the violation, shall notify such person to cease the violation of this chapter and shall inform such person that he/she or they must pay a civil penalty to the Township within the range of the amounts set forth below to settle the violation. The penalty for a first offense shall be not less than $50 and not more than $600; the penalty for a second offense shall be not less than $100 and not more than $600; and the penalty for a third or greater offense shall be not less than $200 and not more than $600. If such person fails or refuses to remit the penalty to the Township within 10 days from the date of the written notice of the violation of this chapter, the Township may commence a civil enforcement proceeding seeking penalties and costs for the violation of this chapter and/or may commence an action in equity. The Township shall seek a judgment for the penalty previously imposed together with additional daily penalties for continuing violations plus all court costs, including the reasonable attorneys' fees incurred by the Township in the enforcement proceedings. Each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation, and each section of this chapter which is violated shall constitute a separate violation. If the defendant neither pays nor timely appeals the judgment, the Township may enforce the judgment pursuant to the applicable rules of civil procedure.