[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township
of Cranford 5-27-1997 by Ord. No.
97-10[1] (Ch. 55 of the 1992 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Noise — See Ch. 290.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided for the repeal
of original Ch. 55, Alarm Systems, adopted 9-28-1976 by Ord. No. 76-41,
as amended.
The purpose of this chapter is to provide standards and regulations
for various types of local alarms of intrusion, burglar, fire, medical
emergency and other emergency alarm devices, whether by direct line,
radio, telephone or some other means of actuating a device at police
headquarters of the Township of Cranford and requiring response thereto
by the Police Department, Fire Department or other municipal agencies.
A.
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to any person who operates,
maintains or owns any alarm device or local alarm designed to summon
the Police or Fire Department or other municipal agency to any location
in response to any type of alarm signal.
B.
The terms of this chapter shall in no way prohibit alarm companies from providing service by private source to other offices within or without the Township, so long as such activity is not connected to the alarm console; except, however, that any person having a premises protected by an alarm device shall still be responsible for the registration thereof in accordance with §§ 140-5 and 140-7 hereof.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
The console or control panel of the devices giving visual
and/or audio response located within the Police Department of the
Township of Cranford.
Any system installed to serve an improved property and designed
or used for detection of fire, smoke or similar hazards, the detection
of unauthorized entry, the commission of an unlawful act or the detection
of any one or more of the foregoing, which system actuates equipment
in the alarm console providing warning of intrusion, fire, smoke,
flood, medical emergency or other peril and automatically alerts a
person beyond the limits of the property who is engaged in the business
of relaying information by human or mechanical means to the Township
Police or Fire Department.
A representative designated by the Township.
Any alarm device actuated by inadvertence, negligence or
intentional or unintentional act of someone other than an intruder,
and shall include as well alarms caused by the malfunctioning of the
alarm device or other relevant equipment.
[Amended 4-21-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-15]
Any alarm or device which, when actuated, produces a signal
not connected to the Township alarm console.
That type of device using telephone lines transmitting an
alarm directly to a Township alarm monitoring system.
Any person owning an alarm device or a local alarm within
the scope of this chapter.
Includes any natural person, partnership, corporation, association
or any other legal entity.
A.
Establishment. There is hereby established a Police Department alarm
console as the exclusive means of transmitting alarms to the Cranford
Police Department.
B.
Connection.
(1)
Previously connected alarms. All alarms in operation and connected
to the alarm panel board located in police headquarters as of the
date of the adoption of this chapter (except dial alarms) shall be
connected by or at the direction of the Cranford Police Department
to the alarm console by the permittee.[1]
(2)
New alarm connections. Any connection to the police alarm console
shall be of a type inspected and approved by the Chief of Police or
his designated representative, and any person aggrieved by said decision
may appeal said decision in writing within 10 days to the Township
Administrator of the Township of Cranford, who is hereby designated
the hearing officer for such appeals.
A.
No person shall install, maintain, use, cause or permit to be used,
or transfer any alarm device or dial alarm within the Township of
Cranford unless a permit therefor has been issued by the Chief of
Police of the Township in accordance with the provisions of this section.
B.
Every person or business entity who or which owns or operates an
alarm device shall make an annual application for the registration
thereof by completing a form for this purpose which is available at
the Cranford Police Department. Each registration shall be completed
by an authorized representative of the alarm device owner, with the
initial fee paid at time of registration.
C.
All persons and business entities engaging in an alarm business in
the Township of Cranford shall annually furnish a complete current
list of the names and addresses of all persons and businesses in the
Township to which or for which alarm devices have been installed or
which are under contract to the alarm business for services. Such
lists shall be delivered to the Cranford Police Department on or before
January 1 of each succeeding year.
D.
Upon notification by the Cranford Police Department that an alarm
has been activated, the owner or designated representative of the
premises from which the alarm signal has been received shall respond
to that location. Noncompliance with this provision may result in
notification by the Township to the premises owner of discontinuance
of response to future alarms from the subject premises.
E.
A dial alarm is any alarm device which, when activated, automatically
or electronically selects a telephone line connected to a central
alarm station or to police headquarters, reporting a prerecorded message,
requesting police assistance. All persons or business entities having
such systems shall have until the end of calendar year 1997 to make
alternate arrangements for private monitoring. Thereafter, dial alarm
systems will no longer be accepted as alarm devices within the Township
of Cranford for purposes of response.
F.
All audible alarms shall be equipped with a time relay or battery
to limit the sounding of an alarm to 15 minutes or less.
G.
The chapter does not apply to a motor vehicle security alarm system.
If such a system, however, employs a signal designed to activate an
audible or visual alarm on or within the premises of the Township
of Cranford, it shall be subject to the provisions of this chapter.
A.
Any person having knowledge of a false alarm shall immediately notify
the Police Department that such alarm has been activated without the
existence of a real emergency situation.
[Amended 4-21-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-15]
B.
The Cranford Police Department shall investigate each false alarm
and shall maintain records of each such event on file.
C.
Fees for false alarms.
[Amended 4-26-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-12]
(1)
Residents or commercial establishments that exceed three false alarms
in a calendar year will be charged a fee for each additional false
alarm as follows:
(2)
For the first three false alarms in any year, there is no charge. All such fees shall be billed to the owner of the premises on a monthly basis, with payment due to the Township of Cranford within 30 days of the date of invoice. Failure to remit the required false alarm fees shall result in a lien being placed by the Township of Cranford on the subject premises and penalties as outlined in § 140-9.
[Amended 4-21-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-15]
A.
Nonmonitored alarms. Each audible or other alarm not connected to
the Township alarm console shall be subject to an annual registration
fee of $40 and an annual renewal fee of $25. The registration and
fees are nontransferable from homeowner to homeowner.
[Amended 11-25-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-41; 4-26-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-12]
B.
Monitored alarms. Each alarm connected to the Township alarm console
monitoring system shall pay annual monitoring fees as follows, including
registration:
[Amended 11-25-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-41]
C.
Exceptions. All facilities of the Township of Cranford and the Board
of Education of the Township of Cranford shall have the right to have
an unlimited number of alarm devices and connected to the console
pursuant to this subsection and monitored without the payment of fees.
D.
Fee payment requirements. All fees due the Township of Cranford pursuant
to the provisions of this chapter shall be paid on or before December
15 of the preceding year. Any payment not received by January 31 of
the subject year shall have a late fee of $50 assessed. Thereafter,
the owner of any registered alarm for which the late fee has not been
paid shall be notified, by certified mail and first-class mail simultaneously,
of the potential to be disconnected. However, absent instruction by
the owner or owner designee in writing to disconnect the alarm, it
will continue to be monitored and the fees shall be assessed as a
lien against the subject premises.
[Amended 4-21-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-15]
The Cranford Police Department shall prepare all documents,
rules and regulations as required to implement the provisions of this
chapter in order to provide for efficient recordkeeping and management
of the provisions of this chapter. The Township Committee shall adopt
all such rules and regulations by resolution.
All persons or business entities which own, install, maintain,
use or otherwise rely upon alarm devices subject to the provisions
of this chapter, whether monitored or nonmonitored as provided herein,
shall indemnify and hold harmless the Township of Cranford for any
and all claims, damages, causes of action for damages and attorney
fees, including the reasonable costs of investigation and defending
such claims, which arise out of any suits, actions or judgments which
may be entered therein, brought for damages or alleged damages resulting
from injury to any person and/or property or loss of life.
