The purpose of this chapter is to provide for the establishment
and maintenance of an efficient, effective and uniform police and
fire alarm system within the Borough of Mount Arlington and to provide
standards and regulations for alarm equipment, devices or systems
to be installed or connected with or to the Morris County Communications
Center, or otherwise installed or connected so as to elicit a response
by the Mount Arlington Borough Police Department or, through the Police
Department, the Fire Department or other municipal agency.
The provisions of the chapter shall apply to any person who
installs, connects, operates, maintains, services or owns any alarm
equipment, device or system, including local and central station alarms,
designed to summon the Police Department or, through the Police Department,
the Fire Department or other municipal agency to any location within
the Borough of Mount Arlington in response to any type of call, signal,
alarm or preprogrammed, prerecorded message.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
CENTRAL STATION ALARM
Any type of equipment, device or system, currently in existence
or any updated technology, which is connected to a private alarm company
monitoring station which monitors alarm activations at their subscriber
locations. Upon alarm activation, and in the event that no person
can be reached at the location or the person reached fails to properly
respond with the correct code word or number, such company will contact
the police to respond to the location.
DIGITAL DIALER SYSTEM
Any type of equipment, device or system, currently in existence
or any updated technology, using telephone wires to activate an audible
alarm at the police communication desk and provide both an information
readout and a printout.
FALSE ALARM
Any activation of an alarm system, currently in existence
or any updated technology, whether intentional or unintentional, by
failure, malfunction, accidental tripping, misoperation, misuse, inadvertence
or negligence by the subscribers, their employees or agents.
LOCAL ALARM
Any type of equipment, device or system, currently in existence
or any updated technology, which, when actuated, produces a signal
or alarm such as a store, burglar or intrusion alarm actuating a bell,
horn or other sounding device, for the purpose of summoning the Police
Department or, through the Police Department, the Fire Department
or other municipal agency to the location thereof and in response
thereto.
PERSON
Includes any natural person, partnership, firm, corporation
or association.
No permit shall be granted except upon the following terms and
conditions:
A. Applicant shall furnish and complete all information required relating
to the application and the alarm, equipment, device or system to be
installed or connected and data relating to prevention of false alarms
and testing procedures.
B. No person other than applicant and his agent and employees shall
exercise the privileges under the permit.
C. Applicant shall maintain his equipment in good condition and repair.
D. No permit shall be transferred or assigned in any manner.
E. The permit is accepted upon the express condition the permittee shall
indemnify and hold the Borough of Mount Arlington harmless from and
on account of any and all damages arising out of the activities of
the permittee or its alarm contractor.
F. The applicant or permittee upon acceptance of such permit, thereby
agrees to hold and save harmless the Borough of Mount Arlington, its
agents or employees from any liability whatsoever in connection with
any such alarm, equipment, device or system or the operation and maintenance
of the same which shall be the sole responsibility of the person having
had the same installed or connected.
All local and central station devices, alarms, equipment or
systems shall be registered with the Borough Clerk, and all information
required with respect to such registration shall be provided and information
kept current by the registrant. All residents and business owners
with existing local and central station devices, alarms, equipment
or systems shall have one year from the adoption of this chapter to
register said alarm system.
Any permit issued under the provisions of this chapter may be
suspended or revoked by the Borough Construction Office for any violations
of or failure to comply with the provisions of this chapter or any
rule or regulation promulgated by the Borough Construction Office
and approved by the Borough Council pursuant to this chapter, including
the following:
A. The permittee, his agent or employee willfully failed to and did
not comply with a request by a member of the Police Department to
proceed immediately to the location of permittee's alarm and
render necessary services.
B. The permittee, his agents or employees knowingly installed or maintained
a faulty system alarm device. An inordinate number of false alarms
shall be prima facie evidence that such alarm device is knowingly
a faulty device.
C. The permittee has breached the terms and conditions of the permit.
No permit shall be revoked or suspended without giving the permittee
30 days notice in writing of such action and an opportunity to show
cause before the Borough Construction Office why such action should
not be taken. Any person aggrieved by the action or determination
of the Borough Construction Office in the denial of a permit or in
the suspension or revocation of any permit provided for in this chapter
may appeal to the Borough Council of the Borough of Mount Arlington.
All alarm systems utilizing an outside audible/signaling device
shall not be active for more than 15 minutes in duration. All such
alarms shall have an automatic silencing device that shall deactivate
any outside audible/signaling device. Any such system that does not
have aforesaid silencing device shall be deemed in violation of this
chapter.
For the equipment, device and systems installed or connected
within the Borough of Mount Arlington, the permittee shall pay whatever
charges are required by any alarm company making such installation
and, in addition thereto, the permit fee hereinbefore provided.
Any unauthorized equipment may be ordered disconnected by the
Borough Construction Office or a designated representative for noncompliance
with this chapter, and any person installing or maintaining unauthorized
equipment shall be prosecuted for violation of this chapter, and each
and every day said equipment is in operation shall be considered a
separate violation. Any permittee shall, by acceptance of the permit,
be deemed to have consented to inspection of the premises on which
said alarm devices are installed at reasonable hours by the Borough
Construction Office or a designated representative.
Any person, firm or corporation found guilty in the Municipal
Court of the Borough of Mount Arlington for violation of the terms
of this chapter shall be subject to a fine of not more that $500 or
imprisonment for a period not exceeding 90 days, or both.
Members of the Police Department, Borough Construction Office
and their designees shall be empowered to enforce and/or issue summons
or warnings to enforce this chapter.