[HISTORY: Adopted by the Council of the Borough of Sharon
Hill as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 2-10-1982 by Ord. No. 1109 (Ch. 34 of the 1972 Code)]
This article shall be known as and may be cited as the "False
Burglar and Fire Alarm Control Ordinance."
Whereas the Council for the Borough of Sharon Hill has determined
that the receipt of false burglary and false fire alarms indicating
that emergencies exist is detrimental to the welfare and safety of
the citizens of the Borough of Sharon Hill, the Police Department
and the volunteer fire departments, it is hereby declared to be the
policy to safeguard and protect the residents of the Borough of Sharon
Hill and the personnel of the Police Department and the volunteer
fire departments from such hazards or risks.
The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article,
shall have the following meanings ascribed to them:
Any mechanical or electronic signals reporting by means of
telephone cables or other means of transmission, which signals are
monitored by the Police Department of the Borough of Sharon Hill at
its headquarters, or audible alarms which are heard and/or called
in by another and which signals, upon receipt or upon activation,
indicate to the Police Department that an emergency exists at the
sending location. Said "alarms" shall include those types installed
to indicate burglaries or fires at the sending location.
The attempt to break into, the act of breaking into or the
intrusion on a property of a person, partnership, association, syndicate,
company, firm, trust, corporation, department, bureau, agency or other
entity recognized by law as the subject of rights and duties.
Any report or request for police or fire service directed
to the Police Department or the Fire Department by any means of communication
wherein the situation, condition, incident or emergency, as subject
of the report or request, does not exist.
Any individual, partnership, association, firm, syndicate,
company, trust, corporation, department, bureau, agency or other entity
recognized by law as the subject of rights and duties.
The Police Department shall have the power and duty to enforce
the provisions of this article.
After the effective date of this article, it shall be unlawful
for any person who is the owner, lessee or occupant of any structure
in which a burglar or fire alarm has been installed to:
A.
Cause, suffer, allow or permit the accidental or purposeful transmission
of a false burglar or fire alarm signal from any public or private
place in the Borough of Sharon Hill to the Police Department or the
Fire Department of the Borough of Sharon Hill.
B.
Cause, suffer, allow or permit to be made any report or request for
police or fire service or assistance by any means of communication
wherein the situation, condition, incident or emergency, as subject
to the report or request for police or fire service or assistance,
did not and does not exist.
No person shall install or maintain in any building, structure
or establishment in the Borough of Sharon Hill an external audible
alarm of any type which does not also contain an automatic cutoff
system or feature automatically cutting off the source of power to
the alarm after it has sounded for a period of no longer than 15 minutes.
[Amended 7-14-1988 by Ord. No. 1180]
Any person who shall be convicted of a violation of any of the
provisions of this article before any Magisterial District Judge shall
be sentenced to pay a maximum fine as provided from time to time by
state statute, together with costs of prosecution, or to imprisonment
in the county jail for a term not to exceed 30 days, or both. Each
instance of a violation shall constitute a separate offense.
