Chapter 25A. Alarm System

Chapter 25A ALARM SYSTEM

§ 25A-1. Short Title.

§ 25A-2. Purpose.

§ 25A-3. Applicability.

§ 25A-4. Definitions.

§ 25A-5. Common annunciator license.

§ 25A-6. Permit and registration required.

§ 25A-7. Permit and registration procedures.

§ 25A-8. Conditions for grant of permits.

§ 25A-9. Revocation or suspension of permits.

§ 25A-10. Dialer alarms.

§ 25A-11. Local alarms.

§ 25A-12. Limitations on obligations.

§ 25A-13. Payment of charges.

§ 25A-14. False alarms; fines and disconnection.

§ 25A-15. Unauthorized connections; inspections.

§ 25A-16. Exceptions.

§ 25A-17. Rules and regulations.

§ 25A-18. Penalties.

§ 25A-19. Severability.

§ 25A-20. Repealer.

§ 25A-21. When effective.

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Gloucester

1-14-85 as Ord. No. 0-84-59]

BE IT ORDAINED, by the Township Council of the Township of Gloucester, in the County of Camden and State of New Jersey, as follows:

§ 25A-1. Short Title.

This ordinance shall be known as and referred to as the "Gloucester Township Alarm System Ordinance."

§ 25A-2. Purpose.

The purpose of this ordinance is to provide for the establishment and maintenance of an efficient, effective and uniform police alarm system within the Township of Gloucester and to provide standards and regulations for various alarm equipment, devices or systems to be installed or connected with or to the Police Department at Police Headquarters of the Township of Gloucester, so as to elicit a response or action by the Police Department of the Township of Gloucester, and to establish regulations concerning the operation and maintenance of alarm systems with the Township of Gloucester, reduce the number of false alarms and Police and Fire Department responses there­to, and provide penalties upon conviction for violation of any of the pro­visions set forth herein.

§ 25A-3. Applicability.

The provisions of this ordinance shall apply to any person who installs, connects, operates, maintains, ser­vices, owns or leases any alarm equipment, device or system, including dialer and local alarms, designed to summon the Police Department, the Fire Department or any other agency or person to any location within the Township of Gloucester in response to any type of signal, alarm or preprogrammed, prerecorded message or recording. The provisions con­tained herein shall apply equally to those systems that were placed in service prior to, or subsequent to, the effective date of this ordi­nance.

§ 25A-4. Definitions.

A. ALARM SYSTEMS - Any mechanical, electrical, or electronic device, devices, or systems which are designed or used for the detection of unauthorized entry into a building, structure, facility, or area, or for alerting others about the commission of an unlawful act within a building,structure, facility, or area, or for alerting others about the existence of any other condition requiring the response of Police, Ambulance, or Fire Personnel; and which emits and/or transmits any audible and/or visual and/or electronic signal or message when activated. Alarms systems include, but are not limited to: direct dial telephone devices, both digital and tape recorded voice; panel alarms that terminate and/or report directly to the Gloucester Township Police Department Communications Center; local and/or audible and/or visual alarm systems; alarm systems that report to any commercial alarm receiving station or center; or any other type of alarm system that is designed to elicit action of or by the Police Department, Fire Department, or Ambu­lance Squads of the Township of Gloucester.

B. AMBULANCE PERSONNEL OR AMBULANCE SQUAD - Any one or more personnel, units, or squad of the ambulance or rescue squads of the Township of Gloucester; also, any Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) or any MICU personnel usually operating in support of, or in conjunction with, Ambulance Personnel or ambulance Squads, within the Township of Gloucester.

C. CHIEF OF POLICE - The Chief of Police of the Township of Gloucester or his designee.

D. COMMON ANNUNCIATOR LICENSE - That license issued by Township Council of the Township of Gloucester to install and connect and to operate, control and maintain the police alarm system and to make all subscriber installations and connections thereto.

E. DIRECT DIAL ALARM - A device that when actuated causes an electronic digital or pre-recorded voice message to be transmit­ted, via telephone, to the Police Department Communications Center, or Fire Department Communications Center.

F. FALSE ALARM - An alarm signal or message causing a response by Police, Fire or Ambulance personnel when an emergency does not exist; provided however, an alarm signal or message activated by an external source or cause reasonably beyond the control of the alarm system owner or operator or their agents such as a storm, elec­trical failure, telephone circuit repair, etc... shall not be deemed a false alarm.

G. FIRE ALARM SYSTEM - Any alarm system designed to be used for the detection of fire or other conditions requiring the presence of fire personnel.

H. FIRE PERSONNEL OR FIRE DEPARTMENT - Any one or more personnel, units, or companies of the volunteer fire companies of the Township of Gloucester.

I. LOCAL ALARM - A device that when actuated, emits an audible and/or visual signal from the premises that it is designed to protect. Local alarms may also be direct dial alarms or panel alarms.

J. PANEL ALARM - A device that when actuated transmits an elec­ tronic signal, via leased telephone circuits, to the Police Depart­ment Communications Center, or Fire Department Communications Center.

K. PERSON - Any natural person, partnership, firm, corporation or association.

L POLICE ALARM SYSTEM - That system giving a visual or audio response, or both, on the control panel of the police console located within the confines of the Police Department of the Town­ship of Gloucester, monitored by the Police Department or Police Dispatch Service, including the subscriber modules, the control modules, the control cabinets, the energy pack and all necessary and accessory equipment, wires and connections therein and thereto, and any digital alarm receiving equipment, including receiver, printer, energy pack, telephone connections and all necessary and accessory equipment, wires and connections. It shall also include as far as applicable, any special telephone lines reserved for receiving voice-type automatic telephone dialer alarms.

M. POLICE OR POLICE DEPARTMENT - The Gloucester Township Police Department.

N. SECURITY ALARM SYSTEM - Any alarm system designed or used for the detection of, or reporting of those conditions requiring the response primarily of the Police or Ambulance personnel includ­ing, but not limited to: burglar, holdup, panic, and medical­-alert type alarm systems.

O. TOWNSHIP - The Township of Gloucester.

P. TOWNSHIP COUNCIL - The Township Council of the Township of Gloucester.

§ 25A-5. Common Annunciator License.

There is hereby estab­lished within the Township of Gloucester a police alarm system common annunciator license, hereinafter referred to as the "common annunciator license," which shall be granted and issued by the Township in accor­dance with and as provided by the terms of this ordinance.

A. The recipient or holder of said license, hereinafter referred to as the "common annunciator licensee," shall have exclusive use and control of the police panel alarm system and digital alarm receivers, except for the use by the Police Department and the Police Dispatch Services of the Township of Gloucester and shall make, in accordance with the provisions of this ordinance and the rules and regu­lations adopted thereunder, all installations and con­nections of such security, burglar, fire, automatic, emer­gency or other alarm equipment, device, or system to the Police panel alarm system and digital alarm receivers in Police Headquarters as may be inspected and approved by the Chief of Police and for which a permit shall have been issued.

B. The common annunciator license shall be required to furnish, supply and provide all necessary materials, equipment and labor in accordance with plans and specifications prescribed by the Chief of Police and approved by Township Council for the completion of installation in Police Headquarters of a police panel alarm system and digital alarm receivers, which shall include, for present and future subscribers, installa­tion and connections thereto, one (1) thousand-subscriber digital receiver and printer and no less than two hundred (200) hard line alarm controls together with the necessary control cabinets and modules, junction boxes, alarm system panels, cables, necessary relays and stand-by power system, hard copy printer and all other accessory equipment and connections related thereto; and said licensee shall be responsible for the maintenance, operation, installation and connection of and to the same, all at no cost to the Town­ship of Gloucester.

C. The common annunciator licensee shall assume liability and agree to indemnify and save harmless the Township of Gloucester, its agents, servants and employees, including the Police Department and Police Dispatch Service, for any acts in connection with the installation, connection, operation and maintenance of the Police Alarm system and the installation and connections thereto and, in conjunction therewith, shall furnish annually to the Township Clerk of the Township of Gloucester an insurance certificate indicat­ing liability coverage in an amount of not less than one million dollars ($1,000,000).

D. The common annunciator licensee if required by the Township, shall post and keep posted during the term of the license with the Township Clerk a performance bond or other security satisfactory to the Township Council of the Township of Gloucester and in a form satisfactory to the Township Solicitor guaranteeing performance of the obligations of the licensee, and also if required by the Township, furnish to the Township Clerk satisfactory evidence of insurance covering the police alarm system apparatus, equipment and materials installed and connected by the licensee during the period or term of the licensee.

E. The common annunciator licensee shall be permitted to charge existing subscribers of the Police Alarm System an annual mainte­nance fee not to exceed that established therefor in the competi­tive bid upon which said common annunciator license was awarded and issued. Said licensee shall be permitted to charge new subscribers a connection fee not to exceed that also established therefor in said competitive bid and, one (1) year after initial installation, the same annual maintenance fee charged to existing subscribers as hereinabove provided.

F. The common annunciator license shall be granted or issued by the Township Council after public advertisement for bids and bidding therefor, taking into consideration the qualifica­tions, ability, experience, financial and other references, responsibility and location of the applicant for said license, as well as the proposed services and protection offered to the Township and subscribers to the police alarm system, the amount of fees to be charged to such subscribers and the recommendations of the Chief of Police, and select­ing the bid proposal most advantageous both to the subscrib­ers and the Township of Gloucester.

G. Except as hereinafter provided, the common annunciator license issued hereunder shall be for a term of three (3) years or the maximum term permitted by law, from the date of approval and issuance by the Township Council and shall be subject to the terms and conditions of this ordinance and the rules and regulations from time to time promulgated and adopted pursuant to this ordinance.

H. The award or renewal of the common annunciator license should the license be terminated in accordance with Section 12 of this ordinance, shall be in accordance with the provisions and proce­dures hereinabove set forth in this ordinance.

§ 25A-6. Permit and Registration Required.

A. No person shall install, connect or maintain or cause to be installed, connected or maintained, any alarm system in or to the Police Headquarters in the Township of Gloucester for the purpose of transmitting a signal or alarm or reporting a signal, alarm or prerecorded message to the attention of the Police Department for the purpose of summoning of the Police Department, Fire Department, Ambulance Squad or any other agency or person and obtaining some response thereto without first having made application and been issued a permit therefor in accordance with the provisions of this ordinance and the rules, regulations and procedures hereinafter established and provided thereunder.

B. No person shall install, connect, operate, maintain, service or own or cause to be installed, connected, operated, maintained, serviced or owned any dial alarm equipment, device or system designed to summon the Police Department of the Township of Gloucester or, through the Police Department, the Fire Depart­ment or other municipal agency to any location within the Township of Gloucester in response to any type of signal, alarm, prerecord­ed or preprogrammed message, report or other transmission over the telephone wires without first having registered and obtained a permit therefor in accordance with the provisions of this ordinance and the rules, regulations and procedures hereinafter established and provided thereunder.

C. No person shall install, connect or maintain or cause to be installed, connected or maintained any local alarm without first having registered the same with the Chief of Police as hereinafter provided.

D. No person shall install, connect or maintain or cause to be installed, connected or maintained any alarm system reporting to any commercial central alarm receiving station which will result in the central alarm receiving station requesting the Police Depart­ment, Fire Department, or Ambulance Squad to respond to any lo­cation within the Township of Gloucester in response to signals or transmissions from the alarm system without first having registered the system with the Chief of Police, as herein­after provided.

E. This ordinance shall also apply to all persons having 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 ordinance prior to the effective date hereof.

F. All existing installations and connections of police, burglar, fire, dial, telephone, automatic emergency or other alarm equip­ment, device or system to Police Headquarters at Chews Land­ing-Clementon Road at Hider Lane, Gloucester Township, New Jersey, shall be subject to the provisions of this ordinance for the purpose of installation and connection and maintaining those alarms at the Police Headquarters at Chews Landing-Clementon Road at Hider Lane, Gloucester, Township, New Jersey.

§ 25A-7. Permit and Registration Procedures.

A. All applications for the issuance of a permit required under this ordinance shall be made in writing to the Chief of Police on a form provided therefor and shall be accompanied by an application and processing fee of fifteen dollars ($15).

B. The application shall contain: the name, address and tele­phone number of the applicant; the name, address and telephone of each of the premises and customers or persons to be served by the proposed installation or connection; the location of the device; a descrip­tion and name of alarm equipment or system; the name of the installer; the type of device, alarm equipment and system pro­visions relating to false alarms and testing procedures; the list of persons to be con­tacted in event of alarm; and such other information as may be re­quired by the Chief of Police..

C. Upon application for a permit, the Chief of Police shall cause an investigation and records to be made and thereafter, provided that the applicant has complied with all the terms of this ordi­nance and the rules and regulations made, promulgated and adopted pursuant thereto, shall issue the permit.

D. Permit fees for present subscribers to the existing alarm system on or before the effective date of this ordinance, shall be waived.

E. Registration of local alarm systems and alarm systems con­nected to commercial central alarm receiving stations shall be in writing on a form provided by the Chief of Police. Registration of these systems shall be made before the activation of any such system.

F. It shall be the responsibility of all persons, who own or occupy any land or premises in the Township at which an alarm system is installed, operating, or maintained, to provide to the Chief of Police, all current information as to the names and telephone numbers of responsible persons who are to be contacted in case of emergency and who are authorized to provide service to the alarm system on a 24-hour basis. This information is required to be filed with the Chief of Police when the alarm system is initial­ly placed into service and must be maintained current immediately whenever any revisions or changes occur or are necessary.

§ 25A-8. Conditions for Grant of Permits.

No permit shall be granted except upon the following terms and conditions:

A. The applicant shall furnish and complete all information required relating to the application and the alarm, equip­ment, device or system to be installed or connected and data relating to prevention of false alarms and testing proce­dures.

B. No person other than the applicant and his agents, family or employees shall exercise the privileges under the permit.

C. The applicant shall maintain his equipment in good condition and repair.

D. No permit shall be transferred or assigned in any manner.

E. The permit is accepted upon the express condition that the permittee shall indemnify and hold the Township of Gloucester harmless from and on account of any and all damages arising out of the activities of the permittee, its alarm contractor or the common annunciator licensee of the Township of Gloucester.

F. Each separate building, store, premise, place or location shall require a separate permit and a separate installation or connection to the police panel alarm system.

G. The applicant or permittee, upon acceptance of such permit, thereby agrees to hold and save harmless the Township of Gloucester, 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.

§ 25A-9. Revocation or Suspension of Permits.

A. Any permit issued under the provisions of this ordinance may be suspended or revoked by the Chief of Police for any violation of, or failure to comply with the provisions of this ordinance or any rule or regulation promulgated by the Chief of Police and approved by Township Council pursuant to this ordinance, 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 permit­tee's alarm and render necessary services.

2. The permittee, his agents or employees knowingly or carelessly 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 fifteen (15) days' notice in writing of such action and within said time an opportunity to show cause before the Chief of Police or his designee, why such action should not be taken. Any person aggrieved by the action or determination of the Chief of Police, or his designee, in the denial, suspension or revocation of any permit provided for in this ordinance may appeal to the Town­ship Council of the Township of Gloucester within five (5) days of receiv­ing such notice of the denial, suspension or revocation of the permit by filing a written notice of appeal with the Township Clerk. The filing of the written notice of appeal with the Town­ship Clerk shall stay any further action by the Chief of Police until such appeal has been determined by the Township Council. Any revocation or suspension of an alarm permit by the Chief of Police or his designee shall not prevent prosecution in Municipal Court for violations of any pro­visions of this ordinance.

§ 25A-10. Dialer Alarms.

A. No permit shall be issued for the installation, connection, operation, maintenance, service or ownership of any type of dial alarm, equipment or device covered by the terms of this ordinance unless the owner has complied with Federal Communications Com­missions Regulations for such installation and connection to Bell Telephone lines and the permittee complies with the provisions of this ordinance and the rules and regulations promulgated and adopted thereunder. Dialer alarms are expressly prohibited from reporting to the main Police Department communications phone numbers. Dialer alarms are permitted to report on only those phone lines maintained specifically for this purpose by the Police Department. Any dialer alarm reporting on the main Police Depart­ment communications telephone numbers is in violation of this ordinance.

B. No voice dialer alarm equipment shall be connected to the police alarm system. Permits shall be issued only for installation of digital alarm transmitters to be connected to the police alarm system.

C. Voice dialer alarm equipment installed on or before November 1, 1981, may be continued subject to the provisions of this ordinance.

§ 25A-11. Local Alarms.

All local devices, alarms, equipment or systems shall be registered with the Chief of Police and all information required with respect to such registration shall be provided and kept current by the applicant or registrant, and no fee shall be required therefor. All local alarms shall have a fifteen-minute automatic silencing or cutoff device within fifteen (15) minutes after actuation of the audible signaling device.

§ 25A-12. Limitations and Obligations.

A. The Township of Gloucester shall be under no duty or obligation to any permittee, the common annunciator licensee or any other licensee hereunder to maintain or continue any of the police alarm system equipment or any other equipment device or system con­nected thereto, the same being maintained at will and subject to termina­tion at any time by cancellation of the system by resolution or ordinance duly adopted by the Township Council. However, the common annunciator license herein shall not be revoked by the Township Council, except upon good cause; and any individual permit or license issued hereunder may be revoked at any time by the Chief of Police as hereinabove provided.

B. Notwithstanding payment of any fees and/or the receiving or issuance of any permit or registrations as herein required, the Township, Chief of Police, the Police Department and their agents and employees shall be under no obligation whatsoever concerning the installation, connection, adequacy, operation or maintenance of any alarm, equipment, device or system installed or connected. The Township of Gloucester and its authorized agents hereby assume no liability whatsoever for any failure of such alarm, equipment, device or system, any failure to respond to any such alarm or transmittals, or for any act of omission or commission as a result of any such alarm equipment device or system. The obligation for the maintenance and upkeep of such alarm equipment, device and system shall be the sole responsibility of the person having had the same installed or connect­ed.

§ 25A-13. Payment of Charges.

For the equipment, device and systems installed or connected within the Township of Gloucester, the permittee shall pay whatever charges are required by any alarm company making such installation and, in addition thereto, the permit fee hereinabove provided and such connection, installation and annual maintenance charges by the common annunciator licensee also hereinabove provided for in the event of installation and connection to the police alarm system.

§ 24A-14. False Alarms: Fines and Disconnection.

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 rules and regulations herein made and provided. 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 said alarms on file. Where the investigation of the Police Department discloses continued abuse of the privilege of connection to the police alarm system or a disregard by the permittee to take remedi­al steps to avoid false alarms, the Township reserves the right to require disconnection from the police alarm system for a limited or permanent time upon the order of the Chief of Police or his desig­nee, provided that no permit shall be revoked or suspended without notice and affording the permit­tee an opportunity to show cause before the Chief of Police or his designee why such action should not be taken, as hereinabove provided.

B. It shall be the responsibility of all persons, who have installed, operated, or maintained any alarm system within the Township to prevent the activation and/or transmission of false alarms through a program of training and periodic inspection and maintenance of the system. The maximum number of permissible false alarms from any one location and/or system shall be as follows:

1. False Alarms: Six (6) false fire alarms in any one calendar month.

2. Security Alarms: Six (6) false security alarms in one calendar month.

3. False alarms in excess of the above shall be deemed a violation of this ordinance.

§ 24A-15. Unauthorized Connections - Inspections.

A. Any unauthorized installation or connection to the police panel alarm system shall be ordered disconnected by the Chief of Police for non-compliance with this ordinance, and any person installing, connecting or maintaining such unauthorized alarm, alarms system or equipment may be prosecuted for violation of this ordinance.

B. Any permittee, by acceptance of a permit, shall be deemed to have consented to a reasonable inspection by the Police Chief or his designee of the lands and premises at or on which said alarm device is installed.

§ 24A-16. Exceptions.

The provisions of this ordinance shall not apply to the General Alerting Alarms that may be used by Fire Companies, Ambulance Squads, Civil Defense Agencies, to summon the response of their members. The provisions of this ordinance shall not apply to alarm systems that are affixed to motor vehicles, unless any such system shall be connected to or report through any alarm system installed at or a affixed to a generally considered permanent structure. The provisions of this ordinance shall not apply to any alarm system owned, operated, or maintained by the Township.

§ 25A-17. Rules and Regulations.

A. The Chief of Police is hereby authorized to prescribe and promulgate supplementary rules and regulations which shall ade­quately and sufficiently, promote and ensure an effective and efficient police alarm system, and provide for the effective administration and enforcement of the provisions of this ordi­nance.

B. All such rules and regulations, and revisions thereof shall be in writing and subject to the approval of the Township Council. Any rule or regulation which shall affect the permit­tees or licens­ees hereunder shall be duly promulgated and provid­ed by the Chief of Police or his designee to such permittees or licensees.

§ 25A-18. Penalties.

Any person found guilty of violating any of the provisions of this ordinance by the Municipal Court of the Township of Gloucester shall be subject to a fine of not less than $50.00 nor more than $500.00 for each violation. In addition to any fine adjudicated by the Court, the Chief of Police may suspend or revoke any alarm permit held by any permittee under the authority of § 25A-9 of this ordinance and in accordance with the Rules and Regulations promulgated hereunder, and cause any alarms for which said permit is revoked to be disconnected from the police alarm system.

§ 25A-19. Severability.

If any article, section, subsection, clause, phrase of this ordinance is for any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by a Court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity or decision shall not affect the remaining portions or provisions of this ordinance which shall be deemed severable.

§ 25A-20. Repealer.

All ordinances and provisions thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this ordinance shall and are hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency; and all provisions of Ordinances No. 0-74-20 and 0-80-45 known and theretofore incorporated as Chapter 25A of the Code of the Township of Gloucester shall be and are hereby repealed.

§ 25A-21. Effective Date.

This ordinance shall take effect immediately after final passage and publication in accordance with the laws of the State of New Jersey.