[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee
of the Township of Hanover 5-24-1984 by Ord. No. 11-84; amended in its entirety 5-12-2022 by Ord. No. 12-2022. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
The purpose of this chapter is to provide standards and regulations
for various types of intrusion, burglar and other emergency alarm
equipment, whether by producing a visual or audible signal or whether
by direct line, radio, telephone or other means which cause an activation
of an alarm requiring a response from the Police Department, Fire
Departments or other Township enforcing agent.
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to any person who
operates, maintains or owns any alarm device designed to upon an activation
of an alarm from a central station alert the Police, Fire Department
or any other Township enforcing agent to any location in response
to said alarm signal.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Any type of alarm system actuating equipment in the alarm
panel providing warning of intrusion or fire.
That component in the console containing noncoded intrusion,
security and fire alarm indications and designations.
Any alarm device or combination of devices installed for
one or more buildings at a location other than the communications
console.
The console or control panel of devices giving visual and
audible indications and general communication and located within the
confines of the police headquarters of the Township of Hanover.
Limited to a member of the Police Department, Fire Departments,
or Construction Code Office of the Township of Hanover.
That type of device using telephone or cellular connection
lines transmitting an alarm directly through the police or the Morris
County Communication Center.
The Business Administrator, Township Clerk, Construction
Official, Zoning Officer, Police Chief or his/her designated representative,
the Chiefs of the Cedar Knolls and Whippany Fire Departments or their
designated representative, the Township's Fire Subcode Official and
the Fire Inspectors of the two fire departments.
Any alarm actuated by inadvertence, negligence, unintentional
or intentional act of someone other than an intruder or by fire, and
shall include, as well, alarms caused by malfunctioning of the alarm
device or other relevant equipment.
The Whippany Fire Department and/or the Cedar Knolls Fire
Department.
The person owning and maintaining the alarm panel or equipment.
Any alarm or device which, when actuated, produces a signal
not connected to the alarm display panel, such as store burglar alarms
actuating audible devices and fire, sprinkler and elevator alarms.
Any person owning or leasing an alarm device or a local alarm
within the scope of this chapter.
Includes any natural person, partnership, corporation or
association.
A.Â
The licensee will be responsible at no cost to the Township of Hanover
for the establishment, construction and installation of said alarm
panel, containing equipment and being of a design approved by the
Fire Subcode Official, and for the care, maintenance and management
thereafter of said panel and the relocation of said panel, if necessary,
under the approval of the Fire Subcode Official or his designated
representative, at no cost to the Township of Hanover.
B.Â
Any connection to the alarm panel shall be of a type inspected and
approved by the Fire Subcode Official or his designated representative,
and any person aggrieved by said decision may appeal said decision,
in writing, within 10 days to the Business Administrator or Township
Clerk.
C.Â
No fee shall be charged to the Township of Hanover or any of its
departments or boards, the Hanover Township Board of Education, the
Hanover Park Regional High School District, the Cedar Knolls Fire
Department, the Whippany Fire Department and the Hanover Sewerage
Authority for monthly charges or console connection charges for any
existing alarms in various municipal or municipal-related agency buildings
and school facilities, and any equipment alarm devices installed by
the alarm panel licensee in such buildings shall be at wholesale cost,
exclusive of labor charges.
D.Â
All alarms installed under this chapter shall have an automatic cutoff
of no more than 30 minutes.
The applicant shall have adequate personnel available on a twenty-four-hour
basis to serve said alarm panel and ancillary equipment.
Local alarm devices having an audible alarm installed out of doors shall be designed to limit the operation of a bell or sound-producing instrument to a maximum of 30 minutes after activation. If the duration of an activated audible device of a local alarm exceeds 30 minutes, the warnings and penalties provided by § 78-8 of this chapter shall apply as though a false alarm had been activated.
Any licensee for the alarm panel and any permittee utilizing
the services of an alarm company connecting said panel shall provide
for a representative to be on call at all times, and such service
shall be provided within eight hours of notification by the Fire Departments
and Police Department of any malfunction of any equipment.
A.Â
Notification to enforcing agent. In the case of a false alarm, any person, firm or corporation having knowledge of such a false alarm shall immediately notify Police Headquarters. As a result, the enforcing agent shall cause an investigation to be made and maintain a record of said alarms on file in the Police Department's Records Bureau and the Township Clerk's office. In addition, when the enforcing agent is contacted by a security firm which is responsible for monitoring and/or maintaining an alarm display panel for a private entity and the Police Department and/or Fire Department responds to the alarm location, and it is determined by the responding officers that the alarm is false, as defined in § 78-3 of this chapter, the penalties prescribed in Subsection B, below, shall be imposed against the permittee (i.e., the owner, operator or lessee) of any alarm systems connected to and/or monitored by the Police Department at Police Headquarters in any calendar year.
B.Â
Penalties for false alarms. In accordance with Subsection A, above, the following penalties shall apply:
(1)Â
In the case of a false alarm, any person having knowledge of such
a false alarm shall immediately notify Police Headquarters. In addition,
in the case of false alarms, the enforcing agent shall cause an investigation
to be made and keep a record of said alarms on file in the Police
Department's Records Bureau and the Township Clerk's office. The following
penalties shall be imposed for false alarms upon the permittees (i.e.,
owners, operators or lessees) of any alarm systems which if activated
subsequently requests a response by the Police Department and/or Fire
Departments in any calendar year.
(a)Â
For the first through the second false alarm, within any given
one-year period of time, a warning notice without penalty will be
sent after the second false alarm;
(b)Â
For the third through sixth false alarm, a fine of $100 each
alarm;
(c)Â
For the seventh through ninth false alarm, a fine of $150 each
alarm;
(d)Â
For the 10th false alarm and for any false alarm, a fine of
$250 each alarm.
(e)Â
Testing of alarm. The penalty for not notifying the Police Department
and/or Fire Department will be treated the same as a false alarm.
C.Â
Payment of fines. Upon written notification from the Township Clerk or his/her designee of false alarm violation, the Township Clerk shall send written notification, via certified, return receipt mail, to the permittee concerning the imposition of penalties as prescribed under § 78-8B above. All fines shall be paid to the Township Clerk within 30 calendar days or receipt of notification.
D.Â
Disbursement of penalties. The Township's Administration, Police
Department and the Whippany and Cedar Knolls Fire Departments shall
share the receipt of penalties received by the Township for each false
alarm call in which the Police Department and/or one or both Fire
Departments respond to a property in the Township. Such disbursements
shall be made by the Finance Department and/or Township Clerk.
Any person testing a burglar/intrusion alarm system covered
by provisions of this chapter shall notify the Police Department immediately
prior to and after testing is completed. Any person testing a fire
alarm system covered by provisions of this chapter shall notify the
Whippany or Cedar Knolls Fire Department immediately prior to and
after testing is completed. Failure to do so shall subject the alarm
user to a penalty under the false alarm section.
A condition prerequisite to the issuance of a permit or license
pursuant to this chapter shall be the obligation of each permittee
and the alarm contractor of such permittee and each licensee to agree,
in writing, to indemnify and save harmless the Township of Hanover
and its agents, servants and employees, including but not limited
to members of the Police Department and Fire Departments, from and
on account of any and all damages arising from or as a result of any
and all phases of the operation of any such permittee, alarm contractor
and alarm panel licensee. Additionally, it shall be a further condition
precedent to the issuance of a permit or license that each permittee,
alarm contractor and licensee agree, in writing, to indemnify and
save harmless the Township of Hanover and its agents, servants and
employees, including the members of the Police Department and Fire
Departments of the Township, from and on account of any and all damages
arising from or as a result of any forced entry by police personnel
into unattended premises occurring during alarm response.
The Township Committee, Township Clerk or Business Administrator
may, from time to time, promulgate rules and regulations supplementing
this chapter in order to provide for recordkeeping and the efficient
management of said system.
Any person, firm or corporation who has not made payment to
the Township Clerk's office within 30 calendar days from receipt of
the notice of violation shall result in the issuance of a summons
to appear in Municipal Court for the purpose of collecting the penalties
and, if found guilty, payment of a fine of not more than $1,250 and
court costs.
It shall be the responsibility of the Township Clerk or his/her designee to send certified, return receipt violation notices to any person, firm or corporation who has not made payment within 30 calendar days as set forth in § 78-8 above. In addition, it shall be the responsibility of the Township Clerk or his/her designee to enforce all the provisions of Chapter 78.
