The Borough Council of the Borough of Rockledge has determined that the receipt of false alarms and false notifications to the Police Department or Volunteer Fire Company that emergencies exist or situations exist wherein police or fire assistance or investigation is required is detrimental to the welfare and safety of the citizens of the Borough of Rockledge and the members of the Police Department and the Volunteer Fire Company, and that the receipt of said false alarms and notifications by the Police Department and/or Volunteer Fire Company detracts from the efficiency of said Department and Company in discharging their responsibilities to the citizens of the Borough of Rockledge; it is hereby declared to be the policy to safeguard and protect the citizens of the Borough of Rockledge, the members of the Police Department and the members of the Volunteer Fire Company, present and future, from such hazards or risks.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Rockledge as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 10-11-1976 by Ord. No. 381 (Ch. 13, Part 3, of the 2005 Code of Ordinances)]
The following terms, words and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the following meanings ascribed to them:
Any mechanical or electronic signals reporting by means of telephone cables or other means of transmission, which signals are monitored by the Police Department of the Borough of Rockledge or the Rockledge Volunteer Fire Company at its headquarters, or audible alarm which is heard and/or called in by another and which signals, upon receipt or upon activation, indicate to the Police Department or the Volunteer Fire Company that an emergency exists at the sounding location. Alarms shall include those types installed to indicate robberies, burglaries and fires at the sending location.
Any report or request for police and/or fire service assistance directed to the Police Department and/or Fire Company by means of communication, wherein the situation, condition, incident or emergency as subject of the report or request for police and/or fire service or assistance did not and does not exist.
The Rockledge Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 or any other volunteer fire company which may operate in the Borough of Rockledge in the future.
Any individual, partnership, association, company, firm, trust, corporation or other entity recognized by law as the subject of rights and duties.
The Borough of Rockledge Police Department.
After the effective date of this article, it shall be unlawful for any person or persons, including but not limited to an owner or lessee of any building in which a fire, holdup or burglar alarm has been installed:
A.
To cause, suffer, or allow or permit the accidental or purposeful transmission of a false alarm signal from any public or private place in the Borough of Rockledge to the Police Department or Fire Company in the Borough of Rockledge.
B.
To cause, suffer, allow or permit to be made any report, request for police or fire service or assistance by any means of communications wherein the situation, condition, incident or emergency as subject of the report or request for police or fire service or assistance did not and does not exist.
Unavoidable false alarms received by the Police Department or Fire Company are not subject to the provisions of this article. Unavoidable alarms are defined herein as those acts not coming under human, mechanical or electronic control, such as rain, lightning or wind storms, or cutoff of the electric company power supply.
The Police Department of the Borough of Rockledge shall have the power and the duty to enforce the provisions of this article.
[Amended 3-14-2005 by Ord. No. 590]
A.
Any person, including but not limited to the owner and/or lessee of any building in which a fire, holdup or burglar alarm has been installed, who purposefully, knowingly or willingly causes, allows or permits the transmission of a false alarm signal or a false notification to the Police Department or Fire Company shall, upon conviction thereof by any Magisterial District Judge, be subject to pay a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000 together with costs of prosecution. In default of the payment of any fine, the defendant may suffer imprisonment for a period not to exceed 30 days. Each instance of a violation shall constitute a separate offense.
B.
Any person, including but not limited to the owner and/or lessee of any building in which a fire, holdup or burglar alarm has been installed, who causes, suffers, allows or permits the accidental transmission of a false alarm signal or false notification shall, after the first offense in any given calendar month, receive written notice by certified mail of said violation. Upon subsequent violations within the same calendar month, and upon conviction thereof, shall be subject to pay a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $1,000 together with costs of prosecution. Each instance of a violation shall constitute a separate offense and, in default of payment of said fine and costs, be subject to a term of imprisonment not to exceed 30 days.
[Adopted 7-8-1996 by Ord. No. 521 (Ch. 10, Part 3, of the 2005 Code of Ordinances)]
[Amended 3-27-2017 by Ord. No. 656]
Metal gates, including open-link and cross-link metal gates, solid shutters, solid roll-down security grates or similar devices which either partially impair or block access and visibility to the front face of the buildings or structures in the Borough of Rockledge, shall be prohibited. This section applies to all structures that are inhabited by persons. It does not apply to accessory buildings unless they are inhabited.
[Amended 3-14-2005 by Ord. No. 590]
Any security device referred to in § 154-7 of this article, which was lawfully installed prior to the effective date of this article and not in conformance with the provisions of this article, shall not be altered or repaired in any substantial manner unless said alterations or repairs comply with the design specifications of this article. Those previously existing security devices which are solid shutters shall be painted in a single solid color, shall be maintained graffiti free at all times, and shall not be used for any advertising purposes.
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any provision of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $1,000 plus costs and, in default of payment of said fine and costs, to a term of imprisonment not to exceed 30 days. Each day that a violation of this article continues or each section of this article which shall be found to have been violated shall constitute a separate offense.