[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee (now Mayor and Council)
of the Township of North Brunswick 6-20-1983. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
The purpose of this chapter is to provide standards and regulations
for various types of intrusions, burglar, fire and other emergency alarm devices,
whether by direct line, radio, telephone or other means, actuating a device
at the police headquarters and requiring response thereto by the Police Department,
Fire Department 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
Department, Fire Department or other municipal agencies to any location in
response to any type of alarm signal.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
The console or control panel of devices giving a visual or audio
response, or both, and located within the confines of the Police Department.
Any type of alarm system actuating equipment in the alarm console
providing warning of intrusion, holdup, fire, smoke, flood or other peril.
Any alarm device or combination of devices installed for one or more
buildings at a location other than the alarm console.
Shall be limited to a member of the Police Department of the township.
That type of device using telephone lines transmitting an alarm directly
through a special line in police headquarters.
Any alarm actuated by inadvertence, negligence or unintentional act
of someone other than an intruder, and shall include as well alarms caused
by malfunctioning of the alarm device or other relevant equipment, but shall
not include alarms created by malfunction of the alarm console.
Any alarm or device which when actuated produces a signal not connected
to the alarm console such as a burglar alarm actuating a bell device.
Any person owning an alarm device or a local alarm within the scope
of this chapter.
A.
Establishment. The township shall maintain an alarm detecting
system and install it in police headquarters. The township shall connect all
alarms coming into the police station and do routine maintenance on the console
daily.
B.
Connection and approval. Any connection to the police
alarm console shall be of a type inspected and approved by the Chief of Police
or his designated representative, and any other person aggrieved by the decision
may appeal the decision in writing within 10 days.
A.
Local alarms, alarms tied into the police console board
and alarms of the service-company type or variety shall be licensed upon approval
of application for same. In addition, those persons having local alarms shall
be required to leave with the Police Department the name of a person who can
be reached in case of an alarm activation or a break-in. The equipment shall
be equipped with an automatic shutoff device timed to shut off the alarm in
15 minutes.
B.
Any license granted hereunder shall be accepted upon
the express condition that the licensee shall indemnify and hold the township
harmless from and on account of any and all damages arising out of the activities
of the licensee, its alarm contractor or the alarm console licensee of the
township.
[Amended 9-15-1997 by Ord. No. 97-8]
All alarm devices must be registered within 30 days of installation.
Failure to register a new alarm within 20 days of receipt of a written notice
to register the alarm shall result in the issuance of a summons answerable
in Municipal Court and a fine of $100.
Dial alarm devices shall be permitted only under the following conditions:
A.
All owners of a dial alarm shall license such in the manner set forth in § 103-5 of this chapter.
B.
No dial alarm device shall be finally licensed until
a test alarm has been made by the owner in conjunction with the Chief of Police
or his representative.
C.
No dial alarm device shall be permitted unless of a type
approved by the Chief of Police or his representative in accordance with the
rules promulgated under this chapter. Any such equipment shall have the approval
of the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company or its assessor.
D.
All dial alarms shall be coded to dial a special separate
number which can be obtained from the Chief of Police, and no dial alarm shall
be coded to dial the number of the general police switchboard of the township.
E.
Any dial alarm device shall be coded as well to notify
a relative, neighbor or other third party who will be disclosed in the registration
of the equipment as required by the provisions of this chapter.
F.
(Reserved)
G.
Owners of dial alarm devices shall be governed by the false alarm procedures and penalties set forth in § 103-8.
H.
Any person having a dial alarm device which dials the
general police number, upon discovery thereof, shall receive notice in writing
from the Chief of Police requiring the owner to comply with the terms of this
chapter, and if the owner fails to do so within 30 days of the receipt of
the notice, he shall then be liable to pay to the township a penalty of $50.
I.
The contents of any record message from a dial alarm
device shall be intelligible and in a format approved by the Chief of Police;
no such message shall be transmitted more than three times as a result of
a single stimulant of the mechanism; messages shall not exceed 15 seconds,
and the time gap between delivery shall be approximately 10 seconds.
J.
There shall be testing of all alarm systems in conjunction with the Police Department. The Police Department shall be notified prior to and after all testing. Failure to notify the Police Department shall be considered a false alarm in accordance with § 103-8 of this chapter.
K.
All components of such equipment shall be maintained
by the owner in good repair, and when evidence exists that there has been
failure to comply with the operational requirements of this chapter, the Chief
of Police is then authorized to demand that such device be disconnected until
such time as compliance with current requirements is reestablished.
L.
If an alarm system malfunctions due to weather conditions,
which can be supported by accurate weather data, such condition shall not
be considered a false alarm.
[Amended 3-4-1985; 9-8-1992]
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 Chief of Police or his representative. In addition, in the case of
a false alarm, the Chief of Police shall cause an investigation to be made
and keep a record of such alarms on file. For such alarms the following penalties
shall prevail:
(1)
For the first through fourth false alarms, inclusive,
in any given calendar year, no penalty shall be imposed.
(2)
For the fifth, sixth and seventh false alarms, the penalty
shall be $25 per false alarm.
(3)
For the eighth, ninth and 10th false alarms, the penalty
shall be $50 per false alarm.
(4)
For the 11th false alarm and each subsequent false alarm,
the penalty shall be $100 per false alarm.
B.
The public schools and other buildings owned and used
by the North Brunswick Township Board of Education shall be exempt from the
provisions of this section.
The Township of North Brunswick Police Department shall enforce the
provisions of this chapter.
