Bill Text: NJ A3083 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Limits authority of municipality to impose assessments for false alarm by alarm system.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-02-28 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee [A3083 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-A3083-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RAJ MUKHERJI
District 33 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Limits authority of municipality to impose assessments for false alarm by alarm system.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act limiting the authority of a municipality to impose assessments for false alarm by alarm system and supplementing Title 40 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. A municipality shall not impose any assessment against an alarm user for:
(1) the first two false alarms activated by an alarm system during a calendar year;
(2) any activation of an alarm system caused by the unauthorized entry by any person upon the property or any portion thereof.
b. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or repeal or otherwise limit the repeal any law providing for the punishment of or remedy against any person who intentionally activates a false alarm.
c. As used in this section:
"Alarm system" means any assembly of mechanical equipment, electrical, or battery operated arranged to signal the occurrence of an illegal entry, theft, or robbery requiring urgent attention and to which any police department in this State actually responds.
"Alarm user" means any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company, or organization of any kind in control of any building, premises, structure or facility or portion thereof wherein an alarm system is installed, operated, or maintained.
"Assessment" means any fees, fines, monetary penalties, surcharges or related charges.
"False alarm" means an alarm system dispatch request to the police department which results in the responding officer finding no evidence of a criminal offense or attempted criminal offense after completing an investigation of the alarm site, and includes any alarm system activated by inadvertence, negligence, or the unintentional act of someone other than an intruder and includes alarms caused by the malfunctioning of the alarm system or other relevant equipment.
2. This act shall take effect on the 60th day after the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill prohibits a municipality from imposing an assessment against an alarm user for the first two false alarms activated by an alarm system during a calendar year. Additionally, this bill prohibits a municipality from imposing an assessment against an alarm user when the alarm system is triggered by unauthorized entry.
Currently, there is no Statewide standard for a municipality addressing a false alarm. Throughout the State there are municipalities that fine an alarm user upon the second occurrence of a false alarm while other municipalities do not fine an alarm user until the fifth or more false alarm. This bill would create one Statewide standard by which municipalities may fine alarm users that experience multiple false alarms in any given calendar year.
