No private burglar alarm system shall be attached or maintained in the
Township of Ridley Municipal Building, Department of Police, without a permit
therefor issued by the Township Secretary.
Said permit shall be issued by the Township Secretary upon written application.
[Amended 6-18-1984 by Ord. No. 1570]
The fee for the permit to connect an approved burglar alarm system to
the Ridley Township Emergency Communication Center shall be the prevailing
fee set from time to time by resolution of the Board of Commissioners. Each
application for a permit shall be accompanied by a certified check payable
to the Township of Ridley in a sum equal to the prevailing fee.
[Amended 6-18-1984 by Ord. No. 1570]
Said permit shall be valid for a period of one year and may be renewed
for a like period upon payment of the prevailing annual fee.
Any such burglar alarm system for which a permit fee has not been paid
for a period of 30 days after the fee is due and payable will be disconnected
without any further notice to the installer.
[Added 5-18-1983 by Ord. No. 1551]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
AUDIBLE ALARM
Any horn or device that emits a warning signal audible outside of
the building to which it is attached and in which it is designed to attract
attention to a burglary or similar emergency.
DIGITAL DIALER CONNECTIONS
Monitoring systems which respond to normal telephone line communications
generated by digital telephone dialers. The digital telephone dialer is a
device which automatically dials a predetermined telephone number upon activation
of an alarm system. This telephone number accesses, via the telephone company
system, a receiving device located in the Ridley Township Police Department
Emergency Communication Center, which receiving device communicates a two-way
electronically coded tone transmission to acknowledge receipt of the ring
signal, receives a tone-coded alarm number and finally emits a tone-coded
signal (sometimes referred to as a "handshake signal") to acknowledge successful
reception of the alarm code number.
[Added 6-18-1984 by Ord. No. 1570]
DIRECT ALARM CONNECTIONS
Monitoring systems which respond to a change in current flow over
supervised leased lines. "Supervision" is defined as, at a minimum, a four-milli-amp
direct current signal transmitted from the alarm-generating device to the
appropriate equipment in the Ridley Township Police Department Emergency Communications
Center. "Leased line" is defined as a pair of conductors provided by the telephone
company. The response to a direct alarm connection is an audible and visual
indication of either an alarm transmission indicated by a polarity reversal
of the supervisory signal or a trouble signal indicated by loss of the supervisory
signal.
[Added 6-18-1984 by Ord. No. 1570]
FALSE ALARM
A spurious signal; one which is not the result of a fire, burglary
or similar emergency.
INTRUSION ALARM
A direct connection to the Police Department or fire company which
automatically activates a visual or audible signal intended to indicate an
intrusion, fire or other emergency.
PERSON
An individual, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company
or organization of any kind.
TELEPHONE ALARM
An automatically activated alarm transmitted by telephone, directly
or indirectly, to the Police Department or fire company, which is intended
to indicate an intrusion, fire or other emergency.
VOICE DIALER CONNECTIONS
Monitoring systems which, upon activation of an alarm system, automatically
dial a predetermined telephone number and communicate a tape-recorded voice
message to the recipients of the telephone call.
[Added 6-18-1984 by Ord. No. 1570]
[Added 5-18-1983 by Ord. No. 1551]
Audible alarms must be equipped with a timing mechanism which disengages
the audible alarm after 15 minutes.
[Added 5-18-1983 by Ord. No. 1551]
If an alarm system or installation malfunctions or is determined to
be faulty, the person whose premises are protected thereby shall be responsible
for making necessary repairs within 48 hours.
[Added 5-18-1983 by Ord. No. 1551]
It shall be a violation of this chapter to cause a false alarm. The
police officer or officers who respond to an alarm which is determined to
be a false alarm shall promptly issue a false alarm violation citation to
the person in whose name the alarm is registered.
[Added 6-18-1984 by Ord. No. 1570]
On or after the effective date of this chapter, it shall be unlawful
for any person to communicate with the Ridley Township Emergency Communication
System by means of a voice dialer connection. Such communication with the
Ridley Township Emergency Communication System shall only be by means of a
direct alarm connection or a digital dialer connection. Furthermore, no permit
for the connection of a private burglar alarm system will be issued or reissued
unless the system used is a direct alarm connection type system.
[Added 6-18-1984 by Ord. No. 1570]
All burglar alarm systems connected to the Ridley Township Police Department
Emergency Communication Center shall use such communications technology as
in the judgment of the Captain of Police or his designee is necessary to ensure
sufficient and adequate alarm monitoring by the Police Emergency Communication
Center.
[Added 5-18-1983 by Ord. No. 1551;
amended 11-16-1988 by Ord. No. 1639]
A. Other than the first false alarm in any calendar year,
whoever violates or fails to comply with any of the provisions of this chapter
shall be fined not more than $100 for the second offense, $300 for the third
offense, $600 for the fourth offense and $1,000 for the fifth or subsequent
offense and cost of prosecution. In default of payment of the fine and cost,
the violator shall be imprisoned for not more than 30 days. Each and every
day in which a violator or noncompliance occurs or continues shall constitute
a separate offense.
B. Any person violating any other provision of this chapter
shall, upon conviction thereof by a District Justice, be sentenced to pay
a fine of not more than $1,000 for each offense.