This chapter shall be known as and referred to as the "Gloucester
Township Alarm System Ordinance."
The purpose of this chapter is to provide for the establishment
and maintenance of an efficient, effective and uniform police alarm
system within the Township of Gloucester and to provide standards
and regulations for various alarm equipment, devices or systems to
be installed or connected with or to the Police Department at Police
Headquarters of the Township of Gloucester, so as to elicit a response
or action by the Police Department of the Township of Gloucester,
and to establish regulations concerning the operation and maintenance
of alarm systems with the Township of Gloucester, reduce the number
of false alarms and Police and Fire Department responses thereto,
and provide penalties upon conviction for violation of any of the
provisions set forth herein.
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to any person who
installs, connects, operates, maintains, services, owns or leases
any alarm equipment, device or system, including dialer and local
alarms, designed to summon the Police Department, the Fire Department
or any other agency or person to any location within the Township
of Gloucester in response to any type of signal, alarm or preprogrammed,
prerecorded message or recording. The provisions contained herein
shall apply equally to those systems that were placed in service prior
to, or subsequent to, the effective date of this chapter.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
ALARM SYSTEMS
A.
Any mechanical, electrical, or electronic device, devices, or
systems which are designed or used for the detection of unauthorized
entry into a building, structure, facility, or area, or for alerting
others about the commission of an unlawful act within a building,
structure, facility, or area, or for alerting others about the existence
of any other condition requiring the response of police, ambulance,
or fire personnel; and which emits and/or transmits any audible and/or
visual and/or electronic signal or message when activated.
B.
Alarms systems include, but are not limited to, direct dial
telephone devices, both digital and tape recorded voice; panel alarms
that terminate and/or report directly to the Gloucester Township Police
Department Communications Center; local and/or audible and/or visual
alarm systems; alarm systems that report to any commercial alarm receiving
station or center; or any other type of alarm system that is designed
to elicit action of or by the Police Department, Fire Department,
or Ambulance Squads of the Township of Gloucester.
AMBULANCE PERSONNEL or AMBULANCE SQUAD
Any one or more personnel, units, or squad of the ambulance
or rescue squads of the Township of Gloucester; also, any mobile intensive
care unit (MICU) or any MICU personnel usually operating in support
of, or in conjunction with, ambulance personnel or ambulance squads,
within the Township of Gloucester.
CHIEF OF POLICE
The Chief of Police of the Township of Gloucester or his
designee.
COMMON ANNUNCIATOR LICENSE
That license issued by Township Council of the Township of
Gloucester to install and connect and to operate, control and maintain
the police alarm system and to make all subscriber installations and
connections thereto.
DIRECT DIAL ALARM
A device that, when actuated, causes an electronic digital
or prerecorded voice message to be transmitted, via telephone, to
the Police Department Communications Center or Fire Department Communications
Center.
FALSE ALARM
An alarm signal or message causing a response by police,
fire or ambulance personnel when an emergency does not exist; provided,
however, an alarm signal or message activated by an external source
or cause reasonably beyond the control of the alarm system owner or
operator or their agents, such as a storm, electrical failure, telephone
circuit repair, etc., shall not be deemed a false alarm.
FIRE ALARM SYSTEM
Any alarm system designed to be used for the detection of
fire or other conditions requiring the presence of fire personnel.
LOCAL ALARM
A device that, when actuated, emits an audible and/or visual
signal from the premises that it is designed to protect. Local alarms
may also be direct dial alarms or panel alarms.
PANEL ALARM
A device that, when actuated, transmits an electronic signal,
via leased telephone circuits, to the Police Department Communications
Center or Fire Department Communications Center.
PERSON
Any natural person, partnership, firm, corporation or association.
POLICE ALARM SYSTEM
That system giving a visual or audio response, or both, on
the control panel of the police console located within the confines
of the Police Department of the Township of Gloucester, monitored
by the Police Department or Police Dispatch Service, including the
subscriber modules, the control modules, the control cabinets, the
energy pack and all necessary and accessory equipment, wires and connections
therein and thereto, and any digital alarm receiving equipment, including
receiver, printer, energy pack, telephone connections and all necessary
and accessory equipment, wires and connections. It shall also include,
as far as applicable, any special telephone lines reserved for receiving
voice-type automatic telephone dialer alarms.
SECURITY ALARM SYSTEM
Any alarm system designed or used for the detection of or
reporting of those conditions requiring the response primarily of
the police or ambulance personnel, including, but not limited to,
burglar, holdup, panic, and medical-alert-type alarm systems.
There is hereby established within the Township of Gloucester
a police alarm system common annunciator license, hereinafter referred
to as the "common annunciator license," which shall be granted and
issued by the Township in accordance with and as provided by the terms
of this chapter.
A. The recipient or holder of said license, hereinafter referred to
as the "common annunciator licensee," shall have exclusive use and
control of the police panel alarm system and digital alarm receivers,
except for the use by the Police Department and the Police Dispatch
Services of the Township of Gloucester and shall make, in accordance
with the provisions of this chapter and the rules and regulations
adopted thereunder, all installations and connections of such security,
burglar, fire, automatic, emergency or other alarm equipment, device,
or system to the police panel alarm system and digital alarm receivers
in police headquarters as may be inspected and approved by the Chief
of Police and for which a permit shall have been issued.
B. The common annunciator licensee shall be required to furnish, supply
and provide all necessary materials, equipment and labor in accordance
with plans and specifications prescribed by the Chief of Police and
approved by Township Council for the completion of installation in
Police Headquarters of a police panel alarm system and digital alarm
receivers, which shall include, for present and future subscribers,
installation and connections thereto, 1,000 subscriber digital receiver
and printer and no less than 200 hard line alarm controls together
with the necessary control cabinets and modules, junction boxes, alarm
system panels, cables, necessary relays and stand-by power system,
hard copy printer and all other accessory equipment and connections
related thereto; and said licensee shall be responsible for the maintenance,
operation, installation and connection of and to the same, all at
no cost to the Township of Gloucester.
C. The common annunciator licensee shall assume liability and agree
to indemnify and save harmless the Township of Gloucester, its agents,
servants and employees, including the Police Department and Police
Dispatch Service, for any acts in connection with the installation,
connection, operation and maintenance of the police alarm system and
the installation and connections thereto and, in conjunction therewith,
shall furnish annually to the Township Clerk of the Township of Gloucester
an insurance certificate indicating liability coverage in an amount
of not less than $1,000,000.
D. The common annunciator licensee, if required by the Township, shall
post and keep posted during the term of the license with the Township
Clerk a performance bond or other security satisfactory to the Township
Council of the Township of Gloucester and in a form satisfactory to
the Township Solicitor guaranteeing performance of the obligations
of the licensee, and also, if required by the Township, furnish to
the Township Clerk satisfactory evidence of insurance covering the
police alarm system apparatus, equipment and materials installed and
connected by the licensee during the period or term of the licensee.
E. The common annunciator licensee shall be permitted to charge existing
subscribers of the police alarm system an annual maintenance fee not
to exceed that established therefor in the competitive bid upon which
said common annunciator license was awarded and issued. Said licensee
shall be permitted to charge new subscribers a connection fee not
to exceed that also established therefor in said competitive bid and,
one year after initial installation, the same annual maintenance fee
charged to existing subscribers as hereinabove provided.
F. The common annunciator license shall be granted or issued by the
Township Council after public advertisement for bids and bidding therefor,
taking into consideration the qualifications, ability, experience,
financial and other references, responsibility and location of the
applicant for said license, as well as the proposed services and protection
offered to the Township and subscribers to the police alarm system,
the amount of fees to be charged to such subscribers and the recommendations
of the Chief of Police, and selecting the bid proposal most advantageous
both to the subscribers and the Township of Gloucester.
G. Except as hereinafter provided, the common annunciator license issued
hereunder shall be for a term of three years or the maximum term permitted
by law, from the date of approval and issuance by the Township Council
and shall be subject to the terms and conditions of this chapter and
the rules and regulations from time to time promulgated and adopted
pursuant to this chapter.
H. The award or renewal of the common annunciator license, should the license be terminated in accordance with §
25A-12 of this chapter, shall be in accordance with the provisions and procedures hereinabove set forth in this chapter.
No permit shall be granted except upon the following terms and
conditions:
A. The 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 the applicant and his agents, family or employees
shall exercise the privileges under the permit.
C. The 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 that the permittee
shall indemnify and hold the Township of Gloucester harmless from
and on account of any and all damages arising out of the activities
of the permittee, its alarm contractor or the common annunciator licensee
of the Township of Gloucester.
F. Each separate building, store, premises, place or location shall
require a separate permit and a separate installation or connection
to the police panel alarm system.
G. The applicant or permittee, upon acceptance of such permit, thereby
agrees to hold and save harmless the Township of Gloucester, 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 devices, alarms, equipment or systems shall be registered
with the Chief of Police, and all information required with respect
to such registration shall be provided and kept current by the applicant
or registrant, and no fee shall be required therefor. All local alarms
shall have a fifteen-minute automatic silencing or cutoff device within
15 minutes after actuation of the audible signaling device.
For the equipment, device and systems installed or connected
within the Township of Gloucester, the permittee shall pay whatever
charges are required by any alarm company making such installation
and, in addition thereto, the permit fee hereinabove provided and
such connection, installation and annual maintenance charges by the
common annunciator licensee also hereinabove provided for in the event
of installation and connection to the police alarm system.
The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to the general
alerting alarms that may be used by fire companies, ambulance squads,
civil defense agencies, to summon the response of their members. The
provisions of this chapter shall not apply to alarm systems that are
affixed to motor vehicles, unless any such system shall be connected
to or report through any alarm system installed at or a affixed to
a generally considered permanent structure. The provisions of this
chapter shall not apply to any alarm system owned, operated, or maintained
by the Township.
Any person found guilty of violating any of the provisions of this chapter by the Municipal Court of the Township of Gloucester shall be subject to a fine of not less than $50 nor more than $500 for each violation. In addition to any fine adjudicated by the Court, the Chief of Police may suspend or revoke any alarm permit held by any permittee under the authority of §
25A-9 of this chapter and in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated hereunder, and cause any alarms for which said permit is revoked to be disconnected from the police alarm system.