[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Hackensack 10-18-1982 as Ord. No. 24-82.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former Ch. 46, Alarm
Devices, adopted 5-15-1972 as Ord. No. 1028 and amended in its entirety 7-16-1979
by Ord. No. 24-79.
[Amended 4-4-1983 by Ord. No. 10-83]
The purpose of this chapter is to provide standards and regulations
for various types of intrusion, burglar and other emergency alarm devices,
whether by direct line, radio, telephone or other means, activating a device
at the police headquarters of the City of Hackensack and requiring response
thereto by the Police Department or other municipal agencies.
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to any person who operates, maintains or owns an alarm device as defined in this chapter. The terms of this chapter shall in no way prohibit alarm companies from providing service by private source to other offices within or without the City of Hackensack so long as such activity is not connected to the alarm console; except, however, that any person having premises protected by an alarm device shall still be responsible for the registration thereof in accordance with § 47-5.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
The console or control panel of devices giving a visual or audio
response, or both, and located within the confines of the police headquarters
of the City of Hackensack.
Any type of alarm system activating equipment in the alarm console
providing warning of intrusion, flood or other peril.
[Amended 4-4-1983 by Ord. No. 10-83]
Any alarm device or combination of devices installed for one or more
buildings at a location other than the alarm console.
Limited to a member of the Police Department of the City of Hackensack.
Any alarm device, which, when activated, automatically or electronically
selects a telephone line connected to a central alarm station, reporting a
prerecorded message requesting police assistance.
Any alarm activated by inadvertence, negligence or unintentional
or intentional but unwarranted act of someone other than an intruder and shall
include, as well, alarms caused by malfunctioning of the alarm device or other
relevant equipment, but shall not include alarms created by malfunction of
the alarm console.
The person obtaining the license to maintain the alarm console as
hereinafter set forth.
Any alarm or device which, when activated, produces a signal not
connected to the alarm console such a burglar alarms activating bell or siren
devices.
Any person owning an alarm device or a local alarm within the scope
of this chapter.
Deemed to include any natural person, partnership, corporation, association
or any other legal entity.
A.
There is hereby established a police alarm console license
which shall be granted only after advertisement for competitive sealed bids
as required by the Local Public Contracts Law. Any such licensee shall have
exclusive use and control of the alarm console, except for use by the City
of Hackensack, and such licensee will be responsible, at no cost to the City
of Hackensack, for the establishment, construction and installation of said
console. The console equipment shall be of a design approved by the Chief
of Police or his agent. The licensee shall be responsible for the care, maintenance
and management thereafter of said console. Said licensee shall locate said
console and relocate said console, if necessary, under the supervision of
the Chief of Police or his agent at no cost to the City of Hackensack. For
any such license granted hereunder, the licensee shall assume all liability
and shall agree to indemnify and save harmless the City of Hackensack, its
agents and the Hackensack Police Department for any acts in conjunction therewith.
B.
Except as provided in § 47-6 of this chapter, any license issued hereunder shall be for the term of three years from the date of award of the license of the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:11-15(5).
C.
The licensee for the police alarm console shall be permitted
to charge subscribers for installation and/or maintenance of the alarm console
connection. The fee to be charged will be determined by applicable bidding
procedures set forth in the Local Public Contracts Law. The licensee's
fees to subscribers, as determined by the City Council under applicable bidding
procedures, shall be fixed for the term of the license and shall be uniform
to all subscribers. No fee, however, shall be charged to the City of Hackensack
for any existing or future devices installed by the alarm console licensee.
A.
Any person, firm or corporation which owns or operates
an alarm device or a local alarm shall make application for the continuance
thereof, in writing, to the Chief of Police on the form provided by the Police
Department, which application shall contain at least the location of the device,
the name of the installer of said device, the person responsible for maintenance
of the device, the type of device, provisions relating to false alarms and
testing procedures, a list of persons to be contacted in the event of an alarm
and other information as may be required by the Chief of Police.
B.
Local alarms shall be registered, but no fee shall be
charged therefor.
C.
The registrant of an alarm device shall pay such fee as provided in § 47-4C to the licensee for the alarm control panel.
D.
Any registration permitted hereunder shall be accepted
upon the express condition that the registrant shall indemnify and hold harmless
the City of Hackensack from and on account of any and all damages arising
out of the activities of the registrant, its alarm contractor or the alarm
console licensee of the City of Hackensack.
E.
Dial alarms which dial a telephone number at police headquarters
are prohibited. Dial alarms may be installed, provided that they dial a monitored
number other than the Police Department.
The City of Hackensack shall be under no duty or obligation to any permittee
hereunder or to any alarm console licensee hereunder, the alarm console and
allied equipment being maintained at will and subject to termination at any
time by cancellation of the system by ordinance duly adopted by the City Council
of the City of Hackensack, and any individual permit issued hereunder may
be revoked at any time by the City Council upon recommendation of the Chief
of Police, provided that 30 days' notice is given in writing to said
permittee and an opportunity to show cause before the City Council why such
action should not be taken.
A.
A dial alarm is any alarm device which, when activated,
automatically or electronically selects a telephone line connected to a central
alarm station, reporting a prerecorded message requesting police assistance.
(1)
Dial alarms shall only be coded to dial a central station
or monitor other than the Hackensack Police Department.
(2)
Any person who has a dial alarm device in existence at
the time of the passage of this chapter which dials the general police number
shall remove same immediately. Any person not complying shall be liable to
pay a penalty to the City of Hackensack in the amount of $50.
(3)
Any person having a dial alarm device which dials the
general police number, upon discovery thereof, shall receive notice from the
Chief of Police requiring the owner to comply with the terms of this chapter,
and if the owner fails to do so immediately, he shall then be liable to pay
the City of Hackensack a penalty of $50 and shall remove the dial alarm device
immediately.
(4)
All components of such equipment must be maintained by
the owner in good repair, and when evidence exists that there has been failure
to comply with the operational requirements of this chapter, the Chief of
Police or his agent is then authorized to demand that such device be disconnected
until such time as compliance with current requirements is reestablished.
B.
Any licensee for the alarm console and any permittee
utilizing said console shall provide for a repairman to be on call at all
times, and such service shall be provided with one hour of notification by
the Police Department of any malfunction of any equipment.
C.
The Chief of Police shall have the right to disconnect
any malfunctioning equipment from the alarm console until such time as the
malfunction has been corrected.
D.
False alarms.
[Amended 1-18-1994 by Ord. No. 7-94]
(1)
In the case of a false alarm, any person having knowledge
thereof shall immediately notify the Police Department. In addition, in the
case of false alarms, the Chief of Police shall cause an investigation to
be made and keep a record of said alarms on file. For such false alarms, the
following penalties are prescribed:
(a)
For the first, second, third and fourth false alarm in
any given calendar year, a warning shall be issued. For the fifth false alarm
in the same calendar year, a fine of $25 shall be paid to the City of Hackensack.
(b)
For the sixth or more false alarm, a fine of $50 shall
be paid to the City of Hackensack.
(2)
Where the investigation of the Police Department discloses
continued abuse of the privilege of connection to the alarm console and a
disregard of the permittee for taking remedial steps to avoid false alarms,
the Chief of Police reserves the right to require disconnection from the alarm
console for a limited or permanent time, provided that no such permit shall
be revoked or suspended without giving the permittee an opportunity to show
cause before the City Council why such action should not be taken.
E.
Any unauthorized equipment may be disconnected by the
Chief of Police or his designated representative for noncompliance with this
chapter. Any person installing or maintaining unauthorized equipment shall
be prosecuted for violation of this chapter, and each and every day said equipment
is in operation shall be considered a separate violation. Any permittee shall
be deemed as having consented to inspection of the premises on which said
alarm devices are installed at reasonable hours by the Chief of Police or
his designated representative.
F.
All audible alarms shall be equipped with a time relay
or battery to limit the sounding of an alarm to 12 minutes or less.
If an Article, section or subsection of this chapter is for any reason
held to be unconstitutional or invalid, such provisions shall be deemed severable.
Any person, firm or corporation found guilty in the Municipal Court
of the City of Hackensack of a violation of the terms of this chapter shall
be subject to a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment for a period not
exceeding 90 days, or both.
The license for the alarm console may be terminated for the licensee's
failure to perform timely installation and/or maintenance of alarm console
equipment in accordance with the provisions set forth in this chapter. Excessive
delay in repair or service or repeated periods of incorporation will be considered
proof of the licensee's inability to perform the required standards and
may be grounds for revocation of the license and for declaration of default
of the performance bond.
No hookup will be allowed to the alarm console from any facility beyond
the boundaries of the City of Hackensack without the express written consent
of the Chief of Police of the City of Hackensack. Such hookups will be at
his sole discretion, subject to appeal by the licensee to the City Council
of the City of Hackensack.
The present panel is owned and maintained by Central Security of New
Jersey, Inc., Teaneck, New Jersey. Arrangement must be made to ensure a changeover
with no service interruption.
This chapter shall take effect upon final passage and after publication
as required by law.
