[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Washington 10-5-1981 by Ord. No. 81-16 (Ch. 66 of the 1985 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fees — See Ch. 212.
Fire prevention — See Ch. 233.
As used herein, the following words and phrases shall be defined as hereinafter indicated:
ALARM CONSOLE
Console(s) or control panel(s) of device(s) giving a visual or audio response, or both, and located within the confines of the police headquarters in the Township of Washington.
ALARM DEVICE
Any type of alarm system warning of intrusion, fire, smoke, flood or other peril, including dial alarms, local alarms, direct alarms and private agency alarms, as defined in this chapter, excepting, however, interior smoke alarms not connected to the alarm console or police switchboard.
[Amended 11-2-1981 by Ord. No. 81-18]
ALARM INSTALLATION
Any alarm, device or combination of devices installed for one or more buildings at a location other than the alarm console.
DESIGNATED REPRESENTATIVE
A member of the Police Department of the Township of Washington or an authorized representative of any firm employed by the Township of Washington for the purpose of installing and maintaining the console.
DIAL ALARM
That type of device using telephone lines transmitting an alarm directly through the police switchboard.
DIRECT ALARM
Any type of device actuating equipment in the alarm console.
FALSE ALARM
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.
LOCAL ALARM
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.
PERSONS
Includes any natural person, partnership, corporation, association or any other legal entity.
PRIVATE AGENCY ALARM
Any type of device activating equipment or directing signals to a private monitoring service.
SUBSCRIBER
Any person owning an alarm device or local alarm within the scope of this chapter.
VENDOR
An individual, company or corporation who has installed an alarm console in Police Department headquarters.
[Amended 11-2-1981 by Ord. No. 81-18]
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 15 minutes.
A. 
Registration.
(1) 
All alarm devices 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 set forth in Chapter 212, Fees, except that this fee shall be waived when the applicant is a homeowner who is 65 or older.
[Amended 5-17-2004 by Ord. No. 04-6; 4-14-2008 by Ord. No. 08-1; at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
(2) 
After initial registration, each application shall be renewed every June upon payment of the fee as set forth in Chapter 212, Fees, and supplementing the application with new information as may be required, such as: different occupant, different system, etc.
[Amended 5-17-2004 by Ord. No. 04-6; 4-14-2008 by Ord. No. 08-1; at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
(3) 
The registration application shall contain the name and address of the occupant, type of alarm device, name, address and phone number of the alarm company, telephone number where and time of day when occupant may be contacted, two emergency phone numbers and addresses of the persons to be contacted in the event the occupant is not available.
B. 
Dial alarms.
(1) 
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 Township.
(2) 
Dial alarms must be coded to conform to the message format provided for in the application form.
(3) 
The total length of the message may not exceed 15 seconds.
(4) 
The message is to be received by the police headquarters on the designated number twice, but not more than twice.
(5) 
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 § 1-1 of Chapter 1, General Provisions.
A. 
Except as otherwise prescribed in § 233-11, for each false alarm of any kind communicated to the Police Department of the Township of Washington, 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:
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
(1) 
For the first and second false alarms given in any twelve-month period, a warning shall be issued by the Police Department to the subscriber.
(2) 
For the third false alarm in any such twelve-month period, a penalty as provided in § 1-1 of Chapter 1, General Provisions, shall be imposed, and such penalty shall be imposed for each false alarm subsequent to the third during said twelve-month period.
(3) 
False alarm penalty shall not be imposed or applicable until 30 days after the initial registration.
B. 
In the event that the Police Department of the Township of Washington, through its designated representative, discovers that more than three false alarms have originated with any subscriber in any twelve-month period, the Director of the Police Department 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 subscriber's having an opportunity to show cause before the Business Administrator 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 thereto and after the testing is completed. Failure to do so shall subject the person to a penalty provided for false alarms.
The Township hereby permits legitimate alarm device vendors to only connect to alarm console or panels in police headquarters which shall be supplied by the Township, pursuant to law.
The Director of the Department of Public Safety is hereby authorized to promulgate such written rules and regulations as are, in his judgment, necessary to implement the provisions of this chapter.
All persons presently having alarm devices must register the same pursuant to § 124-3 within 60 days of the effective date of this chapter. All others must register after the effective date of this chapter immediately upon the installation of any such alarm devices.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original § 5-8, Penalty, of the 1985 Code and which followed this section, was repealed 6-3-1985 by Ord. No. 85-5.