Alarm Registration
Pursuant to Chapter 38 of the revised ordinances of the Township of Randolph, all residential and business alarm systems must be registered with the Randolph Township Police Department.
The alarm registration forms may be downloaded from this web site (see below) or obtained at the police department. A one-time fee of $65.00 for residences and $150.00 for businesses is required. Completed forms should be returned to the police department with a check made payable to the Township of Randolph.
Questions? Contact Sgt. Garry Moore at 973.537.7112.
Why do alarms systems have to be registered?
One primary reason for the ordinance is to reduce the number of false alarms generated. The Randolph Township Police respond to every alarm as if it may be an incident in progress. Police officers spend time checking the property and responding to false alarms ties up manpower. False alarms cost taxpayers and divert officers from legitimate emergencies.
The ordinance encourages accountability and improvement in the reliability of alarm systems by charging alarm owners for false alarms. Of course, no alarm or alarm owner is perfect. To that end, for the first and second false alarm in any given calendar year, the alarm owner will be given a warning. After the second false alarm, however, a summons will be issued and a fine assessed.
The graduated fines for excessive false alarms are as follows:
| Fine | Court Costs |
ACS Surcharge |
Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st summons | $50.00 | $15.00 | $2.00 | $67.00 |
| 2nd summons | $100.00 | $15.00 | $2.00 | $117.00 |
| 3rd summons | $200.00 | $15.00 | $2.00 | $217.00 |
| 4th summons + | To be determined by the Municipal Court judge | |||
Alarm owners will not be held accountable for false alarms triggered by severe weather conditions, electrical malfunctions or phone line problems.
Types of alarms
- Central Station Alarm
The installed alarm system is connected to a private alarm company which monitors alarm activations at the subscriber’s location. When the alarm is activated, a signal is transmitted—usually over telephone lines—to the monitoring company which then calls the subscriber to verify the signal. If there is no answer or if the person who answers the telephone fails to respond with the correct code word or number, the monitoring company contacts the police who, in turn, respond to the location. - Local Alarm
When activated, this type of alarm system produces an audible or visual signal to alert occupants, neighbors or passers-by to a detected condition but it is not connected to a monitoring company. - Tape Dial Alarm
When activated, a pre-recorded message is transmitted by telephone directly to the police department. Use of this type of alarm is prohibited by ordinance. - Police Panel Alarm
This type of alarm reports directly to the police and is connected to the control panel of the police console located within the department. Such systems usually do not incorporate verification capabilities to permit screening of false alarms prior to dispatch procedures being initiated. Consequently, the Randolph Township Police Department does not operate a police panel for direct connection of alarm systems.
How to register your alarm system
The process of registering your alarm system is simple and entails filling out the appropriate form at the police department. For your convenience, we have also made the forms available online. In order to view them, you will need the freely available Adobe Reader software installed on your computer, version 4 or higher.
This are a “fillable forms” and may be filled out on your computer. Please note that a fillable form isn’t the same as electronic filing and it is not possible to electronically submit a form—you must print it out after entering the information. Complete instructions are provided on the first page of the application.
Keeping your information current
Once your alarm system has been registered, it is important to keep the information you have on record with the police department up-to-date. Businesses should be especially diligent to ensure that their emergency contact information is always correct. To update any aspect of your alarm registration information, please contact Sgt. Garry Moore at 973.537.7112.
Note that alarm registrations are not transferable from one alarm user to another or from one location to another.