[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council
of the Borough of Medford Lakes 3-20-2002 by Ord. No. 466. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Noise — See Ch. 163.
The purpose of this chapter is to establish
regulations concerning the operation and maintenance of certain alarm
systems within the Borough of Medford Lakes and to provide penalties
upon conviction for violation of any of the provisions set forth herein.
For the purpose of this chapter, certain words
and phrases are defined as follows:
Any mechanical, electrical or electronic device which is
designed or used for the detection of an unauthorized entry into a
building, structure or facility, or for alerting others about the
commission of an unlawful act within a building, structure or facility,
or for alerting others about the existence of any other condition
requiring response of police or ambulance personnel; and which emits
and/or transmits an audible and/or visual signal or message when actuated.
Alarm systems include, but are not limited to, monitored alarms and
audible alarms. However, alarm systems installed at buildings and
premises owned or occupied by any municipal or governmental agency
shall be exempt from regulation or control by this chapter.
Any alarm system designed to be used for the detection of
fire or other conditions, such as heat, smoke and carbon monoxide,
requiring the presence of fire personnel, excluding alarms intended
to notify only the occupants of the building, structure or facility.
Any alarm system designed or used for the detection of those
conditions requiring the response primarily of the police or ambulance
personnel and not that of fire or fire personnel.
A device that emits an audible signal from the premises that
it is designed to protect.
Borough of Medford Lakes.
The primary phone number advertised to the public for requesting
emergency services.
An alarm signal, necessitating response by the Borough police,
fire or ambulance personnel where an emergency does not exist.
The Medford Lakes Fire Department.
A device that, when activated, causes a recorded message
to be transmitted to a communications center.
Borough of Medford Lakes Police Department.
It shall be the responsibility of all persons,
entities, firms, corporation or other groups that own or occupy any
land or premises in the Borough of Medford Lakes, at which an alarm
system is installed to provide current information to the police,
within 10 days of the installation thereof, or within 60 days of the
enactment of this chapter for preexisting alarm systems, which must
be revised immediately whenever changes are necessary. The following
information should be filed with the Police Department of the Borough
of Medford Lakes. Failure to do so will be considered a violation
of this chapter.
A.
Name, address, daytime and nighttime telephone number
of person owning or occupying the premises.
B.
The type of alarm system.
C.
The street address and the nearest cross street to
the location which contains the alarm.
D.
In the case of a commercial premises, the name, address
and telephone number of an authorized representative, and/or an alternate,
who will be able to respond on a twenty-four-hour basis when called
by police to deactivate the alarm system.
E.
In the case of a private residence, the name, address
and telephone number of a person who is not a resident of the private
residence in question, and who will be able to deactivate the alarm
system on a twenty-four-hour basis.
Audible alarms must be silenced within 30 minutes
after activation.
Upon the activation of a burglary (break-in)
alarm, there shall be a mandatory delay of at least 15 seconds before
the transmission of a signal to the Police Department or alarm company
to enable the user to abort the signal in the event that it was triggered
inadvertently. This delay shall not be applicable to a robbery (holdup)
or medical emergency alarm. Any system installed on or after the effective
date of this chapter must comply with Sections B and C of this section.
Preexisting installations must comply within six months of the effective
date of this chapter.
A.
It shall be the responsibility of all owners or occupiers of lands or premises in the Borough, as set forth in § 60-3, to prevent the transmission of false alarms through a program of training and periodic inspection and maintenance of the system.
B.
The maximum number of permissible false alarms for
any one location, fire or police, shall be as follows: two false alarms
in any thirty-day period, three false alarms in any one-hundred-eighty-day
period, and six false alarms in any one-year period.
C.
False alarms in excess of these standards shall be
considered to be in violation of this chapter.
The provisions of this chapter shall not apply
to the general alerting alarms that may be used by fire companies,
ambulance squads or civil defense agencies to summon response of their
members. The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to alarm systems
that are affixed to motor vehicles.
The provisions contained herein shall apply
equally to those alarm systems that were placed in service prior to
or subsequent to the effective date of this chapter.
[Amended 4-23-2014 by Ord. No. 615]
Any person, firm, corporation, association or legal party whatsoever who or which shall violate, or authorize or procure a violation, or cause to be violated, any provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be punishable as provided under the general penalty provisions found at § 1-15 of this Code. This, however, shall not apply against any municipal employee or officer that authorizes action by permit or otherwise in the ordinary course of their duties.
