The Glen Rock Borough Ordinance Regarding Alarms
Alarm Registration Form (Print Out, Fill In,
Drop Off)
Guidelines for Purchasing an Alarm
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
about
the ALARM ORDINANCE, ALARM
REGISTRATION
AND FALSE ALARM FEES
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Is there a value to owning an alarm system?
Yes,
an alarm system can bring you a sense of security and peace of
mind and is effective with proper installation, adequate
training and regular maintenance.
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Are false alarms a problem?
Yes they
are. Across the nation, the growth of alarm system ownership has
resulted in a tremendous amount of false alarms. The response to
false alarms has created an additional burden on our law
enforcement agencies. Nationwide, approximately 98% or more of
all the burglar alarms police respond on are false. False alarms
divert officers from places where they’re genuinely needed.
They can delay responses to calls that may be real and can
remove our officers from proactive crime prevention activities.
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Why did the Borough revise the false alarm ordinance?
The
Police Department is handling more than 900
alarm calls a year. If the Police Department continued
with the same alarm response policy over the next three years,
Officers would respond to over 1400 -1600
alarm calls, of which more than 95% are false. This is
very costly to all the Borough taxpayers. A number of
New Jersey
jurisdictions, including the
Village
of
Ridgewood
and city of
Englewood
, have also recently adopted false alarm ordinances as a way to
reduce their false alarms.
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What does the Borough hope to accomplish by enforcing the false
alarm ordinance?
The
Borough wants to substantially reduce the number of false alarms
that the Police Department handles. Results from other towns
that hold the alarm user accountable for the maintenance and
operation of their alarm systems have successfully reduced the
number of false alarm calls. The alarm ordinance is based on an
alarm model that was developed by the national alarm industry in
conjunction with the National Sheriff’s Association and the
International Association of Chiefs of Police.
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If I have just one or two false alarms a year is that a problem?
As
an individual alarm user, if the Glen Rock Police Department
responds to your home or business just once or twice a year on a
false alarm, it doesn’t seem like a major problem, but it is.
The use of our Officers has a value attached to it. We all count
on our Police Department to be there when we need them. If every
alarm user believed that it is okay to just have a few false
alarms each year, then that would result in thousands of
additional unnecessary calls for the GRPD. That is a burden
placed on all taxpayers in the Borough.
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Who is required to have an alarm registration?
Anyone
operating an alarm system that is monitored by a Central Station
is required to obtain an alarm registration. A separate alarm
registration is required for each alarm site having a distinct
address or business. For an office complex, that means that the
building owner must register his or her fire alarm system,
and if a tenant has their own burglar alarm, they must
register that separately. Alarms
not required to be registered are those not connected to
a Central Station Monitoring Company,
those installed on an auto, on one’s person or an alarm
system which will not emit a signal either audible or visible
from the outside of the building or residence but is designed
solely to alert the occupants of a building or residence.
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How do I register my alarm?
All
residents, as well as commercial businesses who have an alarm
system that meet the above conditions are required to register
their system every year by January 30th.
After the first year, renewal notices will go out every
year to remind residents and businesses to re-register their
systems. New alarm
systems are required to have a valid alarm registration within
10 days of the installation or activation.
You can also access an online site to download alarm
registration forms by
clicking on link: Glenrockpolicealarmregistrationform
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What is the cost of an annual alarm permit?
The
cost of an alarm registration or its renewal is $25.00 for each
calendar year. Should
your information change during the course of the year, just fill
out a new form. There
is no fee to update information.
No
refund of a registration fee will be made.
-
If I plan to cancel my alarm service in the next couple of
months do I still need to register my alarm?
If your
alarm service will not be cancelled within thirty days of
receiving the notice to register your alarm system, then you are
required to have a valid alarm permit to operate your alarm
system.
-
Why registration fees and annual renewals?
Permit
fees pay for the administration of the alarm program. The alarm
program structure that is established to educate alarm users
about reducing false alarms, tracking false alarm calls, and
providing to recover some of the cost of the Police
Department’s services lost to false alarm response. There is
no “profit” for the Borough.
Whether
or not you have a false alarm, this service function is
necessary for all alarm users. The Borough of Glen Rock has
approximately 600 alarm sites to track and dozens of alarm
companies and monitoring centers that they must coordinate and
interact with on alarms.
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What is the fee or fine amount for a false alarm?
The
false alarm fee is based on an escalating scale:
(1) 1st to 3rd False
Alarm, WARNING
(2) 4th and 5th False
Alarm, $50.00
(3) 6th thru 9th
False Alarm, $150.00
(4) 10th and ALL
Subsequent False Alarms, $250.00
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Can my alarm monitoring center cancel a burglar/intrusion alarm
that they have called into the communications center?
Yes
they can. You will not be charged for a false alarm if the
cancellation notice is received prior to the Officer’s arrival
at the alarm site. Only your alarm monitoring center can cancel
an alarm burglar/intrusion call. DO NOT CALL 911 to cancel your
alarm, call your alarm monitoring company.
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Can my alarm registration be suspended and the police will not
respond to my home?
Yes
it can be suspended along with Police response. If you have
excessive false alarms within your registration period, the
Police have the authority to suspend responding after 12 false
(Burglar, NOT fire) alarms in any calendar period, and the
system may be required to be disconnected for a period of 90
days, unless said system is required by law and provide a
statement from those that service the alarm system that the
malfunction has been corrected.
Should
you exceed 12 false alarms, you will be notified, in writing,
that the police may not respond to any further alarms until the
situation is corrected.
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What is the effective date for the ordinance?
The
Glen Rock Borough Council passed the ordinance on September 16,
2010. Implementation of the ordinance begins in January, 2011.
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Where can I read or obtain a copy of the ordinance or who do I
call if I have additional questions or comments?
The
alarm ordinance is posted online at http://generalcode.com/
or call the police Records Bureau at 201-652-3800 Monday
through Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm.
