[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Paterson 2-16-1982
as Ord. No. 81-096 (Ch. 9, Art. 20, of the 1979 Revised General
Ordinances of Paterson). Amendments noted where applicable.]
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, telephone or other means, actuating a device
at the public safety complex of the city and requiring response thereto by
the Police Division, Fire Division or other municipal agencies.
[Amended 2-15-1983 by Ord. No. 83-008]
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
Division, Fire Division or other municipal agencies to any location in response
to any type of alarm signal. The terms of this chapter shall in no way prohibit
alarm companies from providing service by private sources to other offices
within or without the city, so long as such activity is not connected to the
alarm console, except, however, that any person having a premises protected
by such an alarm device shall still be responsible for compliance with this
chapter.
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 Division
of the city.
Any type of alarm system actuating equipment in the alarm console
providing warning of intrusion, fire, smoke, flood or other peril.
Any alarm device or combination of devices installed for one (1)
or more buildings at a location other than the alarm console.
Any premises used for any and all purposes other than solely as a
dwelling unit.
[Added 11-25-2003 by Ord. No. 03-073]
That type of device using telephone lines transmitting an alarm directly
through the police switchboard.
Limited to a member of the Police Division or Fire Division of the
city.
[Amended 2-15-1983 by Ord. No. 83-008]
Any alarm actuated by inadvertence, negligence, intentional 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 store or home burglar alarms actuating bell
devices.
Any person owning an alarm device or a local alarm within the scope
of this chapter.
Includes any natural person, partnership, corporation or association.
A premises solely occupied as a residence or dwelling unit.
[Added 11-25-2003 by Ord. No. 03-073]
[Amended 2-15-1983 by Ord. No. 83-008; 7-9-1991
by Ord. No. 91-037; 4-8-1997 by Ord.
No. 97-021]
A.
There is established a police alarm console in the public
safety complex to be owned and operated by the city by members of the Police
Division in accordance with rules and procedures established by this chapter
and by the Director of Public Safety; the panel shall be maintained by the
city through its employees or through independent contractors as may be determined
by the Mayor and/or Council.
B.
Any connection to the police alarm console shall be of
a type inspected and approved by the Chief of Police of the city or his designated
representative, and any person aggrieved by the decision may appeal the decision,
in writing, within ten (10) days to the Director of Public Safety.
C.
All alarms existing as of the date of the adoption of
this chapter shall be connected hereunder to the alarm console, and no connection
cost for such transfer shall be permitted.
D.
Any permittee for any alarm device shall be required
to register the same annually with the Police Division of the City of Paterson.
E.
For any alarm system disconnected from the alarm console
or any discontinuance of a dial alarm or a local alarm, the permittee shall
be required to give notice thereof of such discontinuance.
[Amended 2-15-1983 by Ord. No. 83-008]
Any person, firm or corporation who or which owns or operates an alarm
device shall make application for the continuance thereof, in writing, to
the Chief of Police, which application shall contain at least 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 other information as may be required
by the Director of Public Safety. In addition, any permittee shall list the
names of three (3) persons, nonresidents of the premises protected by said
alarm device and situated within one-half (1/2) hours' travel distance
from the city who have keys to the protected premises.
The city shall be under no duty or obligation to any permittee hereunder,
the alarm console and allied equipment being maintained at will and subject
to termination at any time by cancellation of the system by resolution duly
adopted by the Mayor and Council of the city, and any individual permit issued
hereunder may be revoked at any time by the Mayor and Council upon recommendation
of the Department of Public Safety, provided that thirty (30) days' notice
is given, in writing, to the permittee. Any permit granted hereunder shall
be accepted upon the express condition that the permittee shall indemnify
and hold the city harmless from and on account of any and all damages arising
out of the city's operation or failure of alarm console of the city or
the permittee's alarm device.
[Amended 2-15-1983 by Ord. No. 83-008; 12-19-1995
by Ord. No. 95-068]
All fire alarm devices shall be installed in accordance with the requirements
of the Fire Safety Code[1] or higher authority and with the approval of the Fire Chief.
[Amended 2-15-1983 by Ord. No. 83-008; 7-9-1991
by Ord. No. 91-037]
A.
In the case of a false alarm, any person having knowledge thereof shall immediately notify the Police Division in a manner to be prescribed by rules and regulations in accordance with § 109-12 of this chapter. In addition, in the case of false alarms, the Chief of Police or Fire Chief shall cause an investigation to be made and keep a record of said alarms on file.
B.
For such false alarms, the Council prescribes the following
penalties:
[Amended 11-25-2003 by Ord. No. 03-073; 6-9-2004
by Ord. No. 04-044]
(1)
For the first, second and third false alarms in any given
calendar year, a warning shall be issued.
(2)
For the fourth false alarm in the same calendar year,
a fine of not less than $50 shall be paid to the City of Paterson.
(3)
For the fifth false alarm, a fine of $75 shall be paid
to the City of Paterson.
(4)
For the sixth false alarm, a fine of $100 shall be paid to the
City of Paterson.
(5)
For the seventh and subsequent false alarm, the fine will increase
in increments of $100.
C.
Where the investigation of the Police or Fire Divisions
discloses continued abuse of the privilege or connection to the alarm console
and a disregard of the permittee for taking remedial steps to avoid false
alarms, the Council reserves the right to require disconnection from the alarm
console for a limited or permanent time, provided that no such permit shall
be revoked or suspended without giving the permittee an opportunity to show
cause before the Council why such action should not be taken.
[Amended 2-15-1983 by Ord. No. 83-008]
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 the equipment is in
operation shall be considered a separate violation. Any permittee shall by
acceptance of the permit be deemed as having consented to inspection of the
premises on which said alarm devices are installed at reasonable hours by
the Chief of Police or his designated representative.
[Amended 2-15-1983 by Ord. No. 83-008]
Dial alarm devices shall be permitted only under the following conditions:
A.
No dial alarm devices shall be allowed until a test alarm
has been made by the owner in conjunction with the Chief of Police or Fire
Chief or their representatives.
B.
No dial alarm devices shall be permitted unless of a type approved by the Director of Public Safety in accordance with the rules promulgated under § 109-12.
C.
All dial alarms shall be coded to dial a special separate
number, which number 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 city.
D.
All dial alarms devices shall be capable of disconnect
to enable the owner to call the police switchboard to indicate that a false
alarm has occurred.
E.
The contents of any recorded message from a dial alarm
device must be intelligible and in a format approved by the Chief of Police.
No such message shall be transmitted more than three (3) times as a result
of a single stimulus of the mechanism. Messages shall not exceed fifteen (15)
seconds, and the time gap between delivery shall be approximately ten (10)
seconds.
F.
The sensory mechanism of such devices shall be adjusted
so as to suppress false indications and not to be actuated by impulses due
to pressure changes in water pipes, short flashes of light, wind, noises,
rattling or vibration of doors or windows or other forces unrelated to general
alarms.
G.
All components of such equipment must 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.
[Amended 2-15-1983 by Ord. No. 83-008]
A.
Local alarms shall be of a type that shall be limited
to sounding an alarm for no more than thirty (30) minutes.
B.
In the event that the Police Division has to respond to a false alarm for a local alarm, the penalties provided for in § 109-8 shall be applicable.
C.
In the event of malfunction of the equipment or a real
activation of the equipment and a person cannot be located to secure the device,
the permittee shall be liable to pay a penalty of twenty-five dollars ($25.).
The Director of Public Safety may from time to time promulgate rules
and regulations supplementing this chapter in order to provide for recordkeeping
and efficient management of the system; provided, however, that the Council
must first approve the rules or any changes thereto.
[Amended 12-19-1995 by Ord. No. 95-068; 5-23-2006
by Ord. No. 06-049]
Any person, firm or corporation found guilty in the Municipal Court of the City of Paterson for violation of the terms of this chapter shall be subject to a fine of not more than $1,000, imprisonment for a period not exceeding 90 days, or any combination thereof, except that violations of § 109-8 are subject to punishment by payment of fines in the amount of $50. Fines for violation of § 109-8 are payable at the Violations Bureau without a court appearance. Costs of court of $30 will be imposed, consistent with New Jersey Court Rule 7:11-4, for all such payments.
