[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee
of the Township of Oxford 5-15-2002 by Ord. No. 2002-4 (Ch. 35A of the 1974
Township Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
The purpose of this chapter is to alleviate
those conditions within the Township of Oxford whereby policemen and
fire personnel make unnecessary responses to alarms and thereby drain
the manpower, time, space and facilities of the Township of Oxford
in providing responses to fire alarms and burglar alarms within the
Township of Oxford.
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Any business operated by a person, partnership or corporation
or other business entity for profit which engages in the activity
of altering, installing, leasing, maintaining, repairing, replacing,
selling, servicing or responding to a fire or burglar alarm system
or which causes any of these activities to take place.
Any type of alarm-activating equipment which provides warning
of burglary, intrusion, fire, flood or like peril.
The installation in one or more buildings of one or more
alarm devices for the express purpose of giving visual and/or audible
warning of an emergency such as burglary, intrusion, fire, flood or
like peril.
An alarm signal eliciting a response by police or fire fighters
or any other public officials when a situation requiring a response
by police or fire fighters or any other public officials does not
in fact exist, but excluding an alarm signal caused by violent conditions
of nature or other extraordinary circumstances not reasonably subject
to control by the alarm business or alarm user.
A.
No person shall install, operate or maintain any alarm
system unless the alarm system has been registered with the Oxford
Township Police Department. An alarm system shall be deemed registered
at such time as a registration form supplied by the Oxford Township
Police Department is completed as to all information requested therein.
Among the information to be provided on the registration form is the
following:
(1)
The name, address and telephone number of the owner,
occupant or user of the property upon which the alarm system is installed.
(2)
The name, address and telephone number of the installer
of the system.
(3)
The name, address and telephone number of the maintainer
of the system.
(4)
The type of system.
(5)
A list of the names, addresses and telephone numbers
of person(s) to be contacted in the event of an alarm or in an emergency
situation determined by the Oxford Township Police Department.
(6)
A detailed description and location of the alarmed
premises.
B.
No further renewal registration shall be required
unless and until there has occurred any material change in the information
previously submitted with respect to any alarm system, in which event
it shall be the duty of the user of the alarm system, within 10 days
of such material change, to file a supplemental or revised registration
containing accurate, current information.
C.
All preexisting alarm systems shall comply with the
registration requirements of this section within 60 days of the date
of the final adoption of this chapter.
A.
In the event an alarm system, other than a fire or
holdup alarm system, is tied into and/or serviced by a central station
or answering service, upon activation of said alarm system, the central
station or answering service shall verify the validity of the alarm
prior to notifying the Oxford Township Police Department.
B.
No police, fire or other public department or official
shall be responsible in any way for the resetting or maintenance of
any alarm system.
C.
No alarm business or person owing, using or possessing
an alarm system shall cause or permit the giving of repeated false
alarms, whether intentional, accidental or otherwise.
D.
A new homeowner, occupant or user possessing or using
an alarm system shall be responsible for notifying and reregistering
the system with the Oxford Township Police Department within 30 days
of his or her purchase and/or transfer of title of the property.
All information submitted in compliance with
this chapter shall be held in confidence and shall be deemed a record
exempt from public disclosure pursuant to state statute(s). Any violation
of confidentiality shall be deemed a violation of this chapter.
The provisions of this chapter shall not apply
to any alarm system installed on property occupied by any township,
county or state or federal government agency or office.
A.
Any person who fails to register said alarm system
as required by the provisions of this chapter is subject to a fine
of $50.
B.
Any owner or user of an alarm system which experiences
more than two false alarms within any one-year period shall be required
to modify or improve said system with a retrofit which will incorporate
into said system a mandatory audible fifteen-second signal which shall
be designed to prevent accidental activation of the system.
C.
Owners and users of alarm systems shall be subject
to the following minimum fine schedule for false alarms:
|
Minimum Fine/Penalty
| ||
|---|---|---|
|
Number of False Alarms
|
Fire/Police/Burglar
| |
|
3
|
$50
| |
|
4
|
$75
| |
|
5
|
$90
| |
|
6 or more
|
$100
| |
D.
Any owner or user of an alarm system who accidentally
activates his/her burglar alarm and promptly notifies the Oxford Township
Police Department within two minutes after activation will not be
charged with a false alarm call. This grace period shall not apply
to fire alarms.
E.
Any owner or user of an alarm system who installs
such a system not in compliance with this chapter is subject to a
minimum fine of $50. Additionally, said owner or user may be required
to remove such alarm system.
F.
Any owner or user of an alarm system shall be notified
by the Oxford Township Police Department once two false alarms have
occurred with said system.
Any person who intentionally causes the giving
of a false alarm shall be in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:33-3.
