[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council
of the Borough of Wanaque 10-3-1983 as Ord. No. 12-81-83. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
The Mayor and Council find that many residents
and commercial entities have installed burglar, fire and other warning
devices within their residences or buildings with the alarm wired
to the Police Department and/or Fire Department, and that numerous
false alarms from said devices requiring Police and Fire Department
response cause unnecessary expense to the Police Department and Fire
Department and the unproductive diversion of Police and Fire Department
personnel and equipment from their public safety function within the
borough.
The purpose of this chapter is to establish
regulations concerning the operation and maintenance of certain alarm
systems within the Borough of Wanaque and to provide penalties for
violations of any of the provisions set forth herein.
As used herein, the following words and phrases
shall be defined as hereinafter indicated:
The console or control panel of devices giving a visual or
audio response, or both, and located within the confines of the police
headquarters in the Borough of Wanaque.
Any type of alarm system actuating equipment in the alarm
console proving warning of intrusion, fire, smoke, flood or other
peril.
Any alarm, device or combination of devices installed for
one or more buildings at a location other than the alarm console.
A member of the Police Department and/or Fire Department
of the Borough of Wanaque or the representative of any firm employed
by the Borough of Wanaque for the purpose of installing and maintaining
the console.
That type of device, using telephone lines, transmitting
an alarm directly through the police switchboard.
Any alarm activated by inadvertence, negligence or unintentional
act of someone other than an intruder and includes as well alarms
caused by malfunctioning of the alarm device or other irrelevant equipment,
but not including alarms created by malfunction of the alarm console.
Any alarm or device which, when activated, produces a signal
not connected to the alarm console, such as a store burglar alarm's
actuating bell or similar device, which purpose is the attracting
of attention to the premises.
Includes any natural person, partnership, corporation, association
or any other legal entity.
Any person owning an alarm device or local alarm within the
scope of this chapter.
The individual, company or corporation who, through the competitive
bidding process, has been awarded a contract by the Council of the
Borough of Wanaque to install and maintain an alarm console in the
Police Department.
Any person desiring to connect an alarm to the
existing alarm console at the Police Department facility shall do
so by filing an application with the vendor, together with the installation
fee as provided for in the contract between the vendor and the Borough
of Wanaque, such connection charge to be payable in advance and only
by such subscribers as are approved by the Police Department for connection
to the alarm console.
A.
The subscriber desiring connection to the municipal
console shall pay a monthly service charge to the vendor. Such service
charge shall be that which is provided for in the current contract
between the vendor and the Borough of Wanaque.
B.
Any person in default of the foregoing charges for
a period of 60 days shall be disconnected from the alarm console and
shall be liable for the payment of such reasonable reconnection fee
as established upon reconnection.
Local alarms shall be permitted, but it shall
be unlawful for any local alarm to ring or put forth any other sound
for a period in excess of 10 minutes. Any violation of this requirement
shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $500 or by imprisonment
for a term not exceeding 90 days, or both, for each violation.
Any alarm device which, when activated, automatically
or electronically selects a telephone line connected to a central
alarm station or to the police headquarters reporting a prerecorded
message requesting police assistance and such devices commonly known
as "dial alarms" shall be regulated as follows:
A.
All dial alarms shall be registered by completion
of an application form to be furnished by the Police Department, which
application shall be accompanied by an annual charge as established.
B.
Dial alarms shall be coded to dial a separate number
to be obtained from the Chief of Police or his designated representative.
No dial alarm shall be coded to dial the number of the general police
switchboard of the town.
C.
Dial alarms must be coded to conform to the message
format provided for in the application form.
D.
The total length of the message may not exceed 15
seconds.
E.
The message is to be received by the police headquarters
on the designated number twice but no more than twice.
F.
Any dial alarm device must provide an automatic line
seizure feature in the event that the line is busy with incoming or
outgoing calls.
G.
Any person failing to register any dial alarm device within 30 days after the date of enactment of this chapter shall be liable to a penalty as provided in § 48-6.
H.
Any person having a dial alarm device which calls a general police number, upon discovery thereof, shall receive notice in writing from the Chief of Police requiring the owner to comply with the terms of this chapter, and if that person fails to do so within 10 days, he shall be liable to a penalty as provided in § 48-6.
A.
For each false alarm of any kind communicated to the
Police Department of the Borough of Wanaque, a record shall be kept
by the Police Department, and where it is determined that such false
alarm originated at the subscriber's premises, the following procedure
shall be adhered to:
(1)
For the first and second false alarms given in a twelve-month
period, a warning shall be issued by the Police Department to the
subscriber.
B.
In the event that the Police Department of the Borough
of Wanaque, through its designated representative, discovers that
more than two false alarms have originated with any subscriber, with
the subscriber taking remedial steps to avoid such condition, the
Chief of Police shall have the right to require disconnection from
the alarm console or of any dial alarm; provided, however, that no
such connection shall be revoked without the subscriber's having an
opportunity to show cause before the Borough Clerk why such action
should not be taken.
C.
Any person testing any alarm covered under the terms
of this chapter shall notify the police headquarters immediately prior
to and after the testing is completed. Failure to do so shall subject
the person to a penalty provided for false alarms.
Where a subscriber has both a fire alarm and
a burglar alarm, such alarm shall be wired so as to give a distinct
indication at the Police Department facility as to the cause of the
activation of the alarm.
The Chief of Police is hereby authorized to
promulgate such written rules and regulations as are, in his judgment,
necessary to implement the provisions of this chapter, with the concurrence
of the Police Committee; provided, however, that the Mayor and Council
shall first approve such rules and regulations when promulgated by
an appropriate resolution.
