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Township of Saddle Brook, NJ
Bergen County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
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[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Saddle Brook 2-26-1987 by Ord. No. 941. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The purpose of this chapter is to provide regulations for various types of burglar and fire emergency alarm devices, whether direct line, radio, local, telephone dialer or any other means so as to elicit a response by the Saddle Brook Police or Fire Department or other municipal agency.
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to any person who installs, connects, operates, maintains, services or owns any alarm equipment, device or system, including dial and local alarms, designed to summon the Police Department or, through the Police Department, the Fire Department or other municipal agency to any location within the Township of Saddle Brook, in response to any type of signal, alarm or preprogrammed or prerecorded message.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
FALSE ALARM
Any alarm or signal of an alarm system actuated by inadvertence, negligence or intentional or unintentional act of a person other than an intruder, and including as well alarms caused by mechanical failure, malfunctioning or improper installation of the alarm system and related equipment, but not including alarms created by mechanical failure, malfunctioning or improper installation of the alarm console installed within Saddle Brook Police Headquarters or telephone lines over which the alarm user or alarm company has no control. When a fire alarm is received and an investigation of that alarm indicates that there is no evidence of smoke or fire, such evidence shall create a rebuttable presumption of a false alarm.
LOCAL ALARM
Any kind of equipment, device or system which, when activated, produces a signal or alarm not connected to the police panel alarm system, such as a store, burglar or intrusion alarm actuating a bell, horn or other sounding device, for the purpose of summoning the Police or Fire Department or other municipal agency to the location thereof and in response thereto.
PERSON
Includes any natural person, partnership or corporation or association.
A. 
All applications for the issuance of a license required under this chapter shall be made in writing to the office of the Chief of Police on a form provided therefor and shall be accompanied by an application and processing fee of $15. In addition, said form will request the applicant to sign a waiver authorizing the Saddle Brook Police Department to perform a criminal background check through the New Jersey State Police Bureau of Identification. The cost of said check will be born entirely by the applicant, payable directly to the New Jersey State Police, through the Saddle Brook Police, at the prevailing rate.
[Amended 11-13-1997 by Ord. No. 1148]
B. 
All installer's licenses shall expire on December 31 of the year issued, and all licenses for renewal thereof must be submitted, in writing, on or before January 31 of the succeeding year for a renewal fee of $10.
C. 
No person shall engage in, manage, conduct or carry on the business of installing, leasing, connecting, maintaining, servicing, repairing, adjusting, altering, replacing, moving or programming, in or on any building, place or premises in the Township of Saddle Brook, any police, fire, burglar, dial, telephone, local, direct or automatic alarm equipment, device or system which is equipped to report to or attract the attention of the Police or Fire Department in order to secure a response thereto, without first having applied for and received from the Police Department an annual installer's license.
[Amended 11-13-1997 by Ord. No. 1148]
[Amended 11-13-1997 by Ord. No. 1148]
The annual installer's license shall be issued by the Chief of Police, permitting a person to engage in, manage, conduct or carry on the business of installing, leasing, connecting, maintaining, servicing, repairing, arranging, adjusting, replacing, moving and programming, in Saddle Brook, any alarm equipment or device designed to summon the Police Department or, through it, the Fire Department or any other municipal agency.
A. 
No person shall install, connect or maintain, own or cause to be installed, connected, maintained or owned any police alarm equipment device or system in or to the Police Department headquarters in the Township of Saddle Brook for the purpose of transmitting a signal or alarm to the attention of the Police Department, Fire Department or any other municipal agency in response thereto without first having made application and having been issued a permit therefor in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and the rules, regulations and procedures hereinafter established and provided hereunder.
B. 
No person shall install, connect, maintain, service or own, or cause the same, any dial alarm equipment, device or system or local alarm system, designed to summon the Police Department or the Fire Department, causing a response from the Police/Fire Departments to any location within the Township to any signal, alarm, prerecorded preprogrammed message, bell, horn or other sounding device or signal transmitted via telephone line wires without first having made application therefor and having been issued a permit therefor in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and the rules and regulations established and provided hereunder.
C. 
This chapter shall also apply to all persons having owned, installed, connected and maintained any police, burglar, fire, dial, telephone, local, automatic emergency or other alarm equipment, device or system covered or included in this chapter prior to the effective date hereof.
A. 
All applications for the issuance of a permit required under this chapter shall be made in writing to the office of the Chief of Police for approval, on a form provided therefor and shall be accompanied by an application and processing fee of $10.
[Amended 11-13-1997 by Ord. No. 1148]
B. 
One permit shall be required for each separate alarm installation in each tenant area, whether the tenant is the same or a different person, when installed in the same building, area, place, structure or premises, when designed to summon the Police/Fire Departments to a specific area within a multi-alarmed structure and when notification by alarm to the Police Department elicits a response to that specific area and there is more than one such installation or system.
C. 
The applicant or permittee, upon acceptance of such permit, thereby agrees to hold and save harmless the Township of Saddle Brook, 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.
D. 
[1]Any unauthorized equipment may be disconnected by the Chief of Police or his 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 that 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 an inspection of the premises on which said alarm devices are installed at reasonable hours by the Police Department.
[Amended 11-13-1997 by Ord. No. 1148]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection D, which set a time limit for ascertaining the cause of and remedying a false alarm, was repealed 10-10-1991 by Ord. No. 1035. That ordinance also provided for the redesignation of former Subsection E and F to D and E, respectively.
E. 
All permits shall expire on December 31 of the year issued, and all permits for renewal therefor must be submitted in writing on or before January 31 of the succeeding year for a renewal fee of $10. Said renewal application will require the permittee to file an up-to-date list of names, addresses and phone numbers of persons to be contacted in the event of an alarm activation.
The license fee for the license issued under this chapter shall not be required for any alarms that are provided for municipal buildings.
Any permit issued under the provisions of this chapter may be suspended, denied or revoked by the Chief of Police for any violation of or failure to comply with the provisions of 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 activation and render necessary services.
B. 
The permittee, his agent or employee knowingly installed or maintained a faulty 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.
D. 
The installation, equipment, devices, etc., do not conform to Building Codes[1] or ordinances of this state, county or Township, as determined by the Township Building Inspectors Fire Prevention Bureau.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 82, Construction Codes, Uniform.
A. 
The Police Chief shall cause an investigation to be made of the prospective installer and shall recommend the issuance of a license when he finds that:
(1) 
The application submitted by the applicant complies with the requirements of this chapter and all other Township ordinances.
(2) 
A criminal history background check reveals no prior convictions for theft-related offenses, burglary or narcotics law violations.
B. 
Any license issued under the provisions of this chapter may be suspended, denied or revoked by the Chief of Police for any violation of or failure to comply with the provisions of this chapter or any rule or regulation promulgated by the Chief of Police and approved by the Township Council pursuant to this chapter.
No license and/or permit shall be revoked, denied or suspended without giving the licensee/permittee 30 days' notice, in writing, of such action and an opportunity to show cause before the Chief of Police why such action should not be taken. Any person aggrieved by the action or determination of the Chief of Police in the denial, suspension or revocation of any license and/or permit provided for in this chapter may appeal to the Township Council of Saddle Brook.
The Chief of Police may make, prescribe and promulgate supplementary rules and regulations for the installation, connection, licensing, permits, alarm equipment, devices or systems covered by the terms of this chapter and for the performance, maintenance and operation of the same as may be reasonably necessary to fulfill the purpose of this chapter.
A. 
The Township of Saddle Brook shall be under no duty or obligation to maintain the police panel alarm system equipment or any equipment or device connection thereto by the permittee or licensee hereunder. The maintenance of such equipment shall be the sole responsibility of the owner.
B. 
The Police Department of the Township of Saddle Brook shall be under no obligation whatsoever for the installation, connection, adequacy, operation or maintenance of the alarm, equipment, device or system so installed or connected.
[Amended 11-13-1997 by Ord. No. 1148]
C. 
The Township of Saddle Brook and/or its authorized agents shall not be liable for any failure of such alarm systems or equipment.
[Amended 10-10-1991 by Ord. No. 1035; 11-13-1997 by Ord. No. 1148]
The Police Department of the Township of Saddle Brook shall have the authority to enforce all aspects of this chapter as hereto provided.
A. 
Every applicant for a license under this chapter shall complete, sign and verify a written application, in duplicate, on forms furnished by the Police Department.
[Amended 11-13-1997 by Ord. No. 1148]
B. 
The application shall state:
(1) 
Name and address of the applicant;
(2) 
Residence address and full local address, if any, of the applicant;
(3) 
Name and address of insurer; policy numbers of alarm installer's liability policies.
(4) 
Agreement to abide by the procedures set forth by the Chief of Police and to abide by the fees contained in this chapter and general operating procedures as set forth by the Chief of Police.
(5) 
Agreement to provide prompt, courteous response to each call.
(6) 
The length of time the applicant has been in business.
(7) 
Agreement to provide information about his affiliation with other towns.
[Amended 4-1-1991 by Ord. No. 1024; 10-10-1991 by Ord. No. 1035]
A. 
False alarms involving fire and smoke.
(1) 
Warnings. For the first four false alarm occurrences in the same calendar year involving fire or smoke, a warning shall be issued.
(2) 
Offenses.
(a) 
First offense. A fifth occurrence of a false alarm involving fire or smoke in the same calendar year shall be considered a first offense and subject the violator to a penalty of $100.
(b) 
All subsequent violations in the same calendar year involving fire or smoke shall subject the violator to a penalty of $250.
B. 
Other false alarms.
(1) 
Warnings. For the first four false alarm occurrences in the same calendar year involving other than fire or smoke, a warning shall be issued.
(2) 
Offenses.
[Amended 6-2-1994 by Ord. No. 1078]
(a) 
First offense. A fifth occurrence of a false alarm involving other than fire or smoke in the same calendar year shall be considered a first offense and subject the violator to a penalty of $50.
(b) 
Second offense. A sixth occurrence of a false alarm involving other than fire or smoke in the same calendar year shall be considered a second offense and subject the violator to a penalty of $75.
(c) 
Third offense. A seventh occurrence of a false alarm involving other than fire or smoke in the same calendar year shall be considered a third offense and subject the violator to a penalty of $100.
(d) 
Fourth offense. An eighth occurrence of a false alarm involving other than fire or smoke in the same calendar year shall be considered a fourth offense and subject the violator to a penalty of $125.
(e) 
All subsequent violations in the same calendar year involving other than fire or smoke shall subject the violator to a penalty of $125.
C. 
Penalties shall be payable through the Violations Bureau.
D. 
Any person, firm or corporation found guilty in the Municipal Court of the Township of Saddle Brook for violation of any terms and/or conditions of this chapter shall be subject to a fine of not more than $500 or imprisoned for a period not exceeding 90 days, or both.