[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee
of the Township of Cranbury as indicated in article histories. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 9-22-1997 by Ord. No. O-08-97-017]
[Amended 9-27-2004 by Ord. No. 09-04-24]
The purpose of this article is to govern burglary,
robbery and fire alarm systems, require permits, establish fees, provide
for the revocation of permits, provide for the punishment of violations)
establish a system of administration, and prevent negligent use or
abuse of the 911 emergency telephone system.
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
The business by any individual, partnership, corporation
or other entity of selling, leasing, maintaining, servicing, repairing,
altering, replacing, moving or installing any alarm system or causing
to be sold, leased, maintained, serviced, repaired, altered, replaced,
moved or installed any alarm system in or on any building, structure
or facility.
Any assembly of equipment, mechanical or electrical, arranged
to signal the occurrence of an illegal entry, robbery, fire or other
activity requiring urgent attention and to which the police, or the
Fire Department, are expected to respond.
The person, firm, partnership, association, corporation,
company or organization of any kind in control of any building, structure
or facility wherein an alarm system is maintained.
An alarm system signaling an entry or attempted entry into
the area being protected by the system.
An alarm signal eliciting a response by police when a situation
requiring an emergency response by the same does not in fact exist
but does not include an alarm signal caused by violent conditions
of nature or other extraordinary circumstances not reasonable, subject
to the control by the alarm business operator or alarm user.
An alarm system signaling the existence of a fire or smoke
condition in the area being protected by the system.
An alarm system signaling a robbery or attempted robbery.
A.Â
Every alarm business selling, leasing or furnishing
to any user an alarm system which is installed on premises located
in the area, subject to this article, shall furnish the user with
instructions that provide information to enable the user to operate
the alarm system properly and to obtain service for the alarm system
at any time.
B.Â
Every alarm containing an audible bell, horn, siren
or other mechanical device shall have at least three people designated
and trained to deactivate said alarm so as to prevent annoyance to
neighbors.
C.Â
Every alarmed premises shall be logged with the Cranbury
Township Police and a current list of three individuals to be called
should the alarm system be activated.
D.Â
No alarm system shall be tested without prior notification
to the Cranbury Township Police Department.
A.Â
Every alarm user shall register annually with the
Chief of Police in the month of January or prior to use of an alarm
system. Users of systems using robbery, burglary or fire alarm capabilities
shall register for each alarm function. Wherein a large business has
subsidiary business sites with alarm systems, each alarm system will
be registered by the individual subsidiaries.
B.Â
All exterior audible alarm systems (horns, buzzers, bells, etc.) (excluding residential alarm systems in existence prior to January 1, 1985), either installed by an alarm business or alarm user, shall require registration as Subsection A above and shall contain an automatic reset or cutoff within 15 minutes from the time of activation.
C.Â
Any alarm system which has three or more false alarms,
subject to control by the alarm user, within a registration year is
in violation of this article and is subject to a fine of $250 for
each false alarm over three.
[Amended 6-12-2006 by Ord. No. 05-06-14]
E.Â
Any business or other nonresidential facility that
generates three or more 911 emergency calls to the Cranbury Township
Police Department by reason of negligence or error during any twelve-month
period is in violation of this article and is subject to a fine of
$250 for each such call over three.
[Added 9-27-2004 by Ord. No. 09-04-24; amended 6-12-2006 by Ord. No. 05-06-14]
F.Â
Any person who intentionally places a false 911 emergency
call to the Cranbury Township Police Department shall be subject to
a fine not to exceed $1,000 and imprisonment for a term of up to 90
days, or both, for each such offense. In the event New Jersey statutes
provide for stricter penalties, those penalties shall supersede this
provision.
[Added 9-27-2004 by Ord. No. 09-04-24]
G.Â
Any person who tests or repairs an alarm system without
prior notification to the Cranbury Township Police Department shall
be in violation of this article and is subject to a fine of $250.
[Added 6-12-2006 by Ord. No. 05-06-14]
H.Â
Any person,
business, firm, company or corporation that causes a false alarm to
be transmitted as a result of installing, repairing, testing, tampering
with or performing any work on an alarm is subject to a fine of $250
for each transmission of a false alarm.
[Added 6-8-2009 by Ord. No. 05-09-11]
A.Â
All information submitted in compliance with this
article shall be held in the strictest confidence and shall be deemed
a public record exempt from disclosure pursuant to state statute,
and any violation of confidentiality shall be deemed a violation of
this article. The Chief of Police shall be charged with sole responsibility
for the maintenance of all records of any kind whatsoever under this
article.
B.Â
Subject to the requirements of confidentiality, the
Chief of Police shall maintain all statistics developed pursuant to
the administration of this office for the purpose of assisting the
alarm system evaluation.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 46-6, Effective
date, was repealed 6-12-2006 by Ord. No. 05-05-14.
[Adopted 12-27-1999 by Ord. No. O-11-99-35]
A.Â
All properties within the Township of Cranbury having
an automatic fire alarm system or a fire sprinkler system shall be
equipped with a key box. For those buildings having multiple tenants,
each tenant must have a key box approved by the Fire Company of the
Township. All electrically operated gates in a parking yard, shipping
or receiving area, etc., must be equipped with an electronic override
keyed entry switch using the same key box system.
B.Â
This shall not apply to owner occupied one- and two-family
dwellings. Each commercial structure having twenty-four-hour and three-hundred-sixty-five-day
security shall not be subject to the article. The Fire Company shall
decide whether three-hundred-sixty-five-day operations provide three-hundred-sixty-five-day
security.
The key box shall be of a UL type and approved
by the Cranbury Township Fire Company. The rapid entry key box shall
be installed in a location approved by the Cranbury Fire Company.
A.Â
Keys to locked points of egress, whether on interior
or exterior of such buildings.
B.Â
Keys to the locked mechanical rooms.
C.Â
Keys to the locked elevator.
D.Â
Keys to the elevator controls.
E.Â
Keys to any fence or secured area.
F.Â
Keys to any other areas as directed by the Fire Company.
G.Â
A floor plan of the rooms within the building.
All existing buildings shall comply with this
article within 12 months of its effective date. All buildings currently
under construction comply prior to the issuance of a final certificate
of occupancy. When locks and or keys are changed, the Fire Company
must be notified immediately and the new keys placed in the key box.
Any building owner violating this article shall
be subject to penalties as set forth in the Uniform Fire Code, or
preferably, $100 per day fine.
Any duly authorized Township representative
or officer shall enforce these regulations.
