[1]
Editor's Note: See also Part 6, False Fire Alarms, of this chapter.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1983, § 1; as amended by Ord. 505, 7/3/1991, § 13-201]
For purposes of this Part, the following terms are defined as follows:
ALARM
A communication to the Police Department indicating that a crime or other emergency situation warranting immediate action by the Police Department has occurred or is occurring.
ALARM DEVICE
A mechanical device designed to automatically transmit an alarm by wire, telephone, radio, or other means:
(1) 
Directly to the Police Department.
(2) 
To a person who is instructed to notify the Police Department of the alarm.
FALSE ALARM
An alarm to which the Police Department responds resulting from the activation of an alarm device when a crime, fire or other emergency warranting immediate action by the Police Department has not, in fact, occurred.
INTENTIONAL FALSE ALARM
A false alarm resulting from the intentional activation of an alarm device by an individual under circumstances where that individual has no reasonable basis to believe that a crime, fire or other emergency warranting immediate action by the Police Department has occurred or is occurring.
PERMIT HOLDER
A person to whom the Police Department has issued an alarm device permit.
PERSON
An individual, corporation, partnership, unincorporated association, or other similar entity.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
The Police Department of the Township of Collier.
TELEPHONE DIALER ALARM DEVICE
An alarm device designed to automatically transmit a recorded message over regular telephone lines directly to the Police Department.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1983, § 2; as amended by Ord. 505, 7/3/1991, § 13-202]
1. 
It shall be unlawful for a property owner, lessee of property, or a person otherwise occupying a premise within the Township of Collier to put an alarm device into operation on his premises or to allow an alarm device to be put into operation on his premises without first obtaining an alarm device permit from the Police Department. It shall also be unlawful for a property owner, lessee of property, or a person otherwise occupying a premise outside of the Township of Collier to put in an alarm device which terminates at the Police Department into operation on his premises or to allow such an alarm device to be put into operation on his premises without first obtaining an alarm device permit from the Police Department.
2. 
In order to apply for an alarm device permit, a person must submit an application to the Police Department stating the following:
A. 
His/Her name.
B. 
His/Her home and business addresses and the telephone number of each.
C. 
The location at which the alarm device will be installed and operated.
D. 
The name, addresses, and telephone numbers of at least two individuals who have keys to the premises at which the alarm device is located and who are authorized to enter the premises at any time, but who do not reside at the location of the alarm device.
E. 
A complete description of the alarm device.
F. 
If the alarm device is to be leased or rented from, or is to be serviced pursuant to a service agreement by, a person other than the person making application for an alarm device permit, the name, address and telephone number of that person. In addition, each person submitting an application for an alarm device permit shall submit a signed statement, in the following form:
"I (We) the undersigned applicant(s) for an alarm device permit, intending to be legally bound hereby, state that neither I (we), nor anyone claiming by, through or under me (us) shall make any claim against the Township of Collier for any damage caused to the premises at which the alarm device, which is the subject of this application, is or will be located, if such damage is caused by a forced entry to said premises by employees of the Township of Collier in order to answer an alarm from said alarm device at a time when said premises are or appear to be unattended or when in the discretion of said employees, circumstances appear to warrant a forced entry.
Further, I (we) hereby agree that, periodically and upon five days' written notice, representatives of the Police Department of the Township of Collier shall be allowed to enter my (our) premises between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays for the purpose of inspecting my (our) alarm device installation in order to determine whether or not it is in accordance with the operational standards set forth in § 13-103 of this Part.
The Police Department shall furnish forms upon which any person wishing to apply for an alarm device permit may submit his application."
3. 
A person applying for an alarm device permit shall submit a fee that is established from time to time by the Board of Commissioners along with his application to cover the cost of issuing the permit.
4. 
The Police Department shall, within 20 weekdays from receipt of an application for an alarm device permit, either grant an alarm device permit to the applicant or notify the applicant in writing that his application has been denied and the reason or reasons why it has been denied.
5. 
An application for an alarm device permit may only be denied for the following reasons:
A. 
The application submitted by the applicant does not conform with Subsections 2 or 3 of this section.
B. 
The applicant's alarm device does not conform with the operational standards set forth in § 13-103 of this Part.
6. 
Notwithstanding the language contained in Subsection 1 of this section, it shall not be unlawful for a person to continue to operate an alarm device on his premises without an alarm device permit for a period of 90 days after the effective date of this Part provided that said alarm device was in operation on the effective date of this Part.
7. 
The Police Department shall have the power to revoke an alarm device permit. An alarm device permit shall be revoked by notifying the permit holder in writing that his alarm device permit has been revoked and the reason or reasons why it has been revoked. Said written notice shall be:
A. 
Delivered personally to the permit holder, in which case the revocation shall be effective immediately upon delivery.
B. 
Mailed to the permit holder at his last known address by regular mail, postage prepaid, in which case the revocation shall be effective three days after mailing.
8. 
An alarm device permit may only be revoked for the following reasons:
A. 
Failure of an alarm device to conform with the operational standards set forth in § 13-103 of this Part.
B. 
Failure of a permit holder to pay a false alarm charge assessed to him by the Police Department under the provisions of § 13-104 of this Part within 45 days of the mailing to him of a notice of the assessment of a false alarm charge.
C. 
The occurrence of more than 25 false alarms from an alarm device during any calendar year.
D. 
The occurrence of an intentional false alarm caused by the permit holder or by an individual over the age of 15 who resides on the premises where the alarm device is located.
9. 
A person who has had his alarm device permit revoked under Subsections 7 and 8 of this section may reapply for an alarm device permit 45 days after the effective date of such revocation; provided, however, that if a person's alarm device permit was revoked for nonpayment of a false alarm charge, the Police Department shall deny said application unless such charge has been paid. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person who has had his alarm device permit twice revoked on the basis of an occurrence of an intentional false alarm may not reapply for an alarm device permit for one year from the effective date of the second revocations.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1983, § 3]
1. 
If an alarm device is designed to transmit a recorded message directly to the Police Department, the duration of such recorded message shall not exceed 15 seconds. The contents of the recorded message shall be intelligible and in a format approved by the Police Department.
2. 
An alarm device shall be designed so that a thirty-second delay occurs between the time the alarm device receives a triggering stimulus and the time the alarm device transmits an alarm.
3. 
A telephone dialer alarm device shall be designed so that it dials only specific telephone numbers designated by the Police Department. It shall be the duty of the Police Department to designate telephone numbers for use by permit holders with telephone dialer alarm devices.
4. 
If an alarm device is designed to cause a bell, siren or sound-making device to be activated on or near the premises on which the alarm device is installed at the time it gives an alarm, said alarm device shall be designed to deactivate the bell, siren, or other sound-making device after five minutes of operation.
5. 
All alarm devices shall meet the applicable standards of the Underwriters Laboratories and/or the National Fire Protection Association, and/or other recognized industry standards. The applicant for a permit may be required to submit evidence of the reliability and suitability of the alarm device.
6. 
The sensory mechanism used in connection with an alarm device must be adjusted to suppress false indications of intrusion, so that the alarm device will not be activated by impulses due to transient pressure change in water pipes, short flashes of light, wind noises such as the rattling or vibrating of doors or windows, vehicular noises adjacent to the premises, or other forces unrelated to genuine alarm situations.
7. 
The alarm device must be maintained by the permit holder in good repair to assure reliability of operation.
8. 
Representatives of the Police Department shall periodically and upon five days' written notice, have the authority to enter the premises at which the alarm device is located between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays for the purpose of inspecting the alarm device installation in order to determine whether or not it is in accordance with the operational standards set forth in this section. Said representatives may require the repairs be made whenever it is determined that such are necessary to assure the proper operation.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1983, § 4]
It shall be unlawful to cause an intentional false alarm.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1983, § 5; as amended by Ord. 505, 7/3/1991, § 13-205]
1. 
A permit holder shall pay to the Township of Collier a charge for each false alarm emanating from his alarm device during any calendar year as established from time to time by the Board of Commissioners.
2. 
When a false alarm occurs, the Police Department, within 30 days from the date of each false alarm, shall notify the permit holder of the alarm device from which the false alarm emanated that a false alarm charge is due and the amount thereof, if any. Such notice shall be in writing and mailed to the permit holder at his last known address by regular mail postage prepaid. Failure of the Police Department to mail notice of assessment of a false alarm charge within 30 days from the occurrence of a false alarm shall preclude charge for said false alarm.
3. 
A false alarm charge shall be due and payable at the office of the Police Department 45 days from the date of the mailing of the notice of assessment of the false alarm charge.
4. 
Failure of a permit holder to pay a false alarm charge on or before the due date shall subject such permit holder to revocation of his alarm device permit under § 13-102.7 and .8 of this Part.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1983, § 6]
The Board of Commissioners of Collier Township may by resolution duly adopted, from time to time, either increase or reduce any fee or charge provided for in this Part including those described in §§ 13-102.3 and 13-105.1.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1983, § 7]
If the location of the headquarters of the Police Department should change at any time, the Township shall not be responsible for any cost incurred by permit holders or other persons in the relocations of alarm devices because of said change in location.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1983, § 8]
The issuance of any permit shall not constitute acceptance by the Township of any liability to maintain any equipment, to answer alarms or for anything in connection therewith.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1983, § 9]
Whenever under the provisions of this Part the Police Department is empowered to make a decision with respect to the installation, operation, or maintenance of any alarm device, or with respect to the denial or revocation of any permit relating thereto, any applicant for a permit or permit holder aggrieved by said decision may, within 10 days following said decision, file a written appeal therefrom with the Board of Commissioners of Collier Township whereupon the Board of Commissioners shall promptly conduct a hearing and affirm, modify, or reverse the decision appealed from. The decision of the Board of Commissioners shall be final.
[Ord. 425, 6/7/1983, § 10; as amended by Ord. 652, 4/13/2011]
Any person, firm, or corporation who has committed an unlawful act under §§ 13-102 and 13-104 of this Part, upon conviction thereof, shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $1,000 plus costs and, in default of payment of said fine and costs, to a term of imprisonment not to exceed 30 days. Each day that a violation of this Part continues shall constitute a separate offense.