[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of Boonton 8-15-1988
by Ord. No. 390. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended 6-24-1996 by Ord. No. 541]
The purpose of this chapter is to provide standards and regulations
for various types of intrusion, burglar, fire and other emergency alarm devices,
whether by direct line, radio or other means, actuating a device at the police
headquarters or the Borough of Mountain Lakes Dispatch Center and requiring
response thereto by the Police Department, fire companies or other municipal
agencies.
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to any person who operates,
maintains or owns any alarm device or local alarm designed to summon the police,
fire companies or other municipal agencies to any location within the Township
of Boonton in response to any type of signal, alarm or preprogrammed, prerecorded
message.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 47-3, Definitions, was repealed
6-24-1996 by Ord. No. 541.
A.
Prior to the installation of an alarm device or a local
alarm or as a condition to its continuance, an application for a permit, in
writing, shall be made to the Chief of Police, which application shall contain
the location of the device, the name of the installer of the device, the type
of device, provisions relating to false alarms and testing procedures, a list
of persons to be contacted in the event of an alarm and such other information
as may be required by the Township Committee or Chief of Police.
B.
Local alarms shall be registered, but no fee shall be
charged therefor.
D.
For police alarm devices, the permittee shall pay whatever
charges are required by any alarm company making such installation and, in
addition thereto, the connection and monthly maintenance charges of the person
or company licensed by the Borough of Mountain Lakes to maintain the alarm
board. The permittee shall also pay to the Borough of Mountain Lakes an annual
fee for the privilege of connecting to the alarm board as assessed by the
Borough of Mountain Lakes.
E.
Any permit granted hereunder shall be accepted upon the
express condition that the permittee shall indemnify and hold the Township
harmless from and on account of any and all damages arising out of the activities
of the permittee, its alarm contractor or the Borough of Mountain Lakes Police
Department and its alarm board license.
The Township shall be under no duty or obligation to any permittee hereunder,
the alarm board and allied equipment being maintained at will by the Borough
of Mountain Lakes and subject to termination at any time by cancellation of
the system by the Borough, and any individual permit issued hereunder may
be revoked at any time by the Township Committee, provided that 30 days'
notice is given in writing to the permittee.
A.
Any permit issued under the provisions of this chapter
may be suspended or revoked by the Chief of Police for any violation of or
failure to comply with the provisions of this section or any rule or regulation
promulgated by the Chief of Police and approved by the Township Committee
pursuant to this section, including the following:
(1)
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 the permittee's alarm and render
necessary services.
(2)
The permittee, his agents or employees 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.
(3)
The permittee has breached the terms and conditions of
the permit.
B.
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 Chief of Police why such action should not be taken.
C.
Any person aggrieved by the action or determination of
the Chief of Police in the denial of a permit or the suspension or revocation
of any permit provided for in this section may appeal to the Township Committee.
A.
In the case of a false alarm, any person having knowledge
thereof shall immediately notify the Police Department in a manner to be prescribed
by the rules and regulations herein made and provided. In addition, in the
case of false alarms, the Chief of Police shall cause an investigation to
be made and shall keep a record of said alarms on file. For such false alarms,
the Township Committee prescribes the following penalties:
[Amended 2-15-1990 by Ord. No. 425]
B.
Where the investigation of the Police Department discloses
continued abuse of the privilege of connection to the police panel alarm system
and a disregard of the permittee for taking remedial steps to avoid false
alarms, the Township Committee reserves the right to require disconnection
of the alarm system for a limited or permanent time, upon the recommendation
of the Chief of Police, provided that no such permits shall be revoked or
suspended without giving the permittee an opportunity to show cause before
the Township Committee why such action should not be taken. In an emergency,
the Chief of Police shall be authorized to temporarily disconnect any alarm
system.
[Amended 2-15-1990 by Ord. No. 425]
C.
The permittee shall take all necessary steps to immediately
ascertain the cause of any false alarm and shall alleviate the problem within
72 hours or show cause before the Chief of Police why the malfunction cannot
be remedied within that time period. The Chief shall have the discretion to
grant an additional period of time within which to make the repair.
D.
Testing of alarm equipment. The police desk shall be
notified in advance of the testing of any alarm device. Failure to properly
advise the police desk of such test will be treated as a false alarm and be
subject to the same penalties.
[Amended 2-15-1990 by Ord. No. 425]
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 said equipment is in
operation shall be considered a separate violation.
A.
The Chief of Police may make, prescribe and promulgate
supplementary rules and regulations for the installation and connection of
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 purposes of this chapter.
B.
Such rules and regulations shall be made, prescribed
and promulgated to sufficiently promote and ensure an effective and uniform
police and fire alarm system and proper installation and connection; provide
for maintenance of records and efficient management of the alarm system, the
speedy and accurate operation and reporting of alarms, minimizing mechanical
failure, minimizing false alarms, and the consequential dangers of the same
to citizens of the Township, the proper monitoring of alarms and prompt response
to such alarms, the prevention of jamming of the switchboard and the creation
of nuisances or other interference or hindrance with the proper operation
of duties of the Police Department and dispatcher.
C.
Said rules and regulations and all changes thereof shall
be subject to the approval of the Township Committee.
D.
Said rules and regulations shall be in writing and shall
be given to each permittee at the time of the application for issuance of
the permit or at the time of the promulgation or amendment of such rules and
regulations.
[Amended 2-15-1990 by Ord. No. 425; 4-9-2007
by Ord. No. 739]
Any person, firm or corporation found guilty in the Municipal Court of the Township of Boonton of violating the terms of this chapter shall be subject, upon conviction, to the penalties provided in § 1-15 of this Code.
