[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough
of Barrington 4-9-2002 by Ord.
No. 762.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Editor's Note: This chapter was adopted as Ch. 4 and was renumbered
during codification.
The purpose of this chapter is to provide standards and regulations
for the operation and maintenance of various types of intrusion, burglar,
fire and other emergency alarm devices, whether by direct line, radio,
telephone or other means actuating a device at the police headquarters
of the Borough of Barrington and/or at the Camden County Communications
Center, Lindenwold, New Jersey, and requiring a response thereto by
the Police Department, the Fire Department or other municipal agencies.
For the purpose of this chapter, certain words and phrases are
defined as follows:
The console or control panel of devices giving a visual or
audio response, or both, and located within the confines of the police
headquarters of the Borough of Barrington and/or the Camden County
Communications Center and/or any other official location recognized
by all parties herein.
Any mechanical, electrical or electronic device which is
designed or used for the detection of an unauthorized entry into a
building, structure or facility, or for alerting others about the
commission of an unlawful act within a building, structure or facility,
or for alerting others about the existence of any other condition
requiring response of police, fire or ambulance personnel, and which
emits and/or transmits an audible and/or visual signal or message
when actuated. Alarm systems include but are not limited to direct-dial
telephone devices, audible alarms and subscriber alarms.
Any alarm designed or used for the detection of fire or other
conditions requiring the presence of fire personnel and/or fire apparatus.
Any alarm system designed or used for the detection of those
conditions requiring the response primarily of the police or ambulance
personnel and not that of fire or fire personnel.
The Barrington Ambulance Squad.
A device that emits an audible signal from the premises that
it is designed to protect.
The Borough of Barrington.
A device that, when actuated, causes a recorded message to
be transmitted, via telephone, to the Barrington Police Department
and/or the Camden County Communications Center stating that emergency
response is necessary and/or requested.
The primary phone number advertised to the public for requesting
emergency service.
An alarm signal necessitating response by the Barrington police,
the Barrington Fire Department or the Barrington Ambulance Squad personnel
where an emergency does not exist; any alarm actuated by inadvertence,
negligence or an unintentional act of someone other than an intruder,
fire or that which the alarm system is designated to do, and includes
as well alarms caused by the malfunctioning of the alarm device or
other relevant equipment. An alarm that has been activated by an external
source that is beyond the reasonable control of the subscriber or
malfunction of the alarm console shall not be considered false.
The Barrington Fire Department and/or the volunteer fire
company or companies, and its members, operating the Barrington Fire
Department.
The Barrington Police Department.
An alarm system that is terminated by direct connections
to the Barrington Police Department and/or the Camden County Communications
Center, located in Lindenwold, New Jersey, in accordance with regulations
prescribed in separate legislation.
A.
It shall be the responsibility of all persons, entities, firms, corporations
or other groups that maintain alarm systems within the Borough to
provide current information to the police, consisting of the names
and telephone numbers of responsible persons who may be contacted
in case of emergency or who are authorized to provide service to the
alarm system. Either must be on a twenty-four-hour basis. This information
is to be filed with the Police Department when the alarm system is
initially placed into service and must be revised immediately whenever
changes are necessary.
B.
Audible alarms must be silenced within 60 minutes after a designated
responsible person is notified to do so by the police, or the alarm
system may be equipped with a timing device that will automatically
silence the audible alarm within 60 minutes after it is actuated.
C.
The direct-dial alarms shall not be connected to the emergency phone
number of either the police or fire personnel of the Borough of Barrington.
A phone line will be provided for direct-dial alarms by the Camden
County Communications Center. Direct-dial alarms must be equipped
with a device that will prevent more than three repeated transmissions
of an alarm for the same emergencies to the communications centers
of the police or fire personnel. Recorded messages must also include
the name and telephone number of a responsible person who may be contacted
by the police in case of an emergency on a twenty-four-hour basis.
D.
False alarms.
(1)
It shall be the responsibility of all persons, entities, firms, corporations
or other groups that maintain alarm systems within the Borough to
prevent the transmission of false alarms through a program of training
and periodic inspection and maintenance of the system. The maximum
permissible number of false alarms from any one location shall be
as follows:
(2)
False alarms in excess of these standards shall be considered to
be in violation of this chapter.
The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to the general
alerting alarms that may be used by fire personnel, ambulance squads
or civil defense agencies to summon response of their members. The
provisions of this chapter shall not apply to alarm systems that are
affixed to motor vehicles.
A.
Except as may be provided in New Jersey statute, any person or persons,
partnership or corporation violating any of the provisions of this
chapter shall be subject to a fine not to exceed $1,000, imprisonment
in the county jail for a term not to exceed 90 days or a period of
community service not to exceed 90 days, or any combination thereof,
in the discretion of the court. Each day on which any of the provisions
of this chapter shall be violated shall constitute a separate offense.
B.
In addition to any penalty that may be adjudicated by the court,
the Chief of Police may authorize the disconnection of subscriber
alarms from the Police Communications Center after giving 20 days'
written notice to the subscriber. In addition to any court penalty
adjudicated by the court, the Chief of the Barrington Fire Department
may authorize the disconnection of subscriber alarms from the Fire
Communications Center after giving 20 days' written notice to
the subscriber.
The provisions contained herein shall apply equally to those
alarm systems that were placed in service prior to or subsequent to
the effective date of this chapter.
