The Egg Harbor Township Police Department would like to commend you on your decision to install a security/fire alarm system. If properly installed, operated and maintained, an alarm can help prevent the loss of property and protect lives. Please read all the information on this page, complete the registration form and return it to the Egg Harbor Township Police Department at the address listed. Please keep this page as a reference for alarm policies in the Township of Egg Harbor.

Emergency Contacts

When responding to an alarm, the police may not be able to immediately determine if an alarm activation is false or an actual event. The police may have to call someone who is familiar with your property to determine if a problem exists. These emergency contact persons could be called by this department to gain information on your property's condition when you are not available. The contact may be asked to respond to the alarm location to help evaluate if a problem does actually exist. It is very important that the people you list:

• Are permitted to enter your home or business and are provided with a means( such as keys and alarm codes) of accessing your property in the event of an alarm activation when you are not available.

• Live close to your home or business and can respond quickly if needed. They should be familiar with the general condition of your property, and be given contact numbers where you can be reached when away.

• Aware of being listed as an emergency contact and are willing to assist the police if needed. It will be the alarm owner's/lessee's responsibility to keep the contact list up to date.

Registration

If you fail to register your alarm system with the Egg Harbor Township Police Department, you are required by Ordinance 60-3 to disconnect your alarm system and discontinue using the services of a central monitoring station. Failure to comply with this ordinance could result in a fine of no more than $1,000 and/or 90 days in jail.

False Alarms

If an alarm system is improperly maintained or is not fully understood by the persons operating it, false alarms will result. Emergency personnel respond to approximately 2,300 false alarms per year in Egg Harbor Township. These false alarms deprive the township's residents and businesses of Police, Fire and Emergency Medical services that would otherwise be immediately available. Most of these false alarms were avoidable activations and were triggered by human error or equipment malfunctions. Many alarm problems can be avoided by regular maintenance and by being familiar with the proper operation of your alarm. Here are some recommendations to help you avoid false alarm problems:

• Have your alarm system checked on a regular basis by a qualified person for poor connections and parts in need of replacement.

• Test your trickle charge battery backup under a full power outage. Notify the police prior to testing your alarm system.

• Educate all persons who will be using the alarm system with the proper activation and reset procedures, as well as the proper codes and police response procedures in the event of a false alarm.

Should you fail to maintain your alarm in proper working order, and the police receive more than five (5) false alarms in any calendar year, you will be assesses an administrative fee, or issued an ordinance violation summons for violating Egg Harbor Township Ordinance 60-11.

• An administrative fee of $25 will be assessed on a systems 6th through 8th false alarm per calendar year.
• A $50 fee will be assessed on a systems 9th through  12th false alarm per calendar year.
• A $100 fee will be assessed on the 13th and each subsequent false alarm during the calendar year.

The police department reserves the right to waive the administrative fees, and instead issue an ordinance summons for excessive false alarms. These summons can be issued upon the police receiving a sixth false alarm for the calendar year and, upon conviction in municipal court, the alarm owner or lessee can be fined $200 per false alarm.