News

Delaware town toughens ATM security, mandates 911 access

April 9, 2006

The (Delaware County, Del.) Daily Times: Council members in Sharon Hill, Del., a community just outside Philadelphia, passed an unprecedented ordinance that requires banks and businesses with ATMs to boost security. The ordinance calls for not only surveillance cameras but also card-activated 911 calling systems. In addition to deterring crime, the ordinance is meant to encourage business owners, who are now subject to a maximum fine of $500 a day and/or 90 days in prison if the cameras aren't in proper working order.

Over the next nine months, all ATMs located outside a building also need to be equipped with card-activated 911 access. Those ATMs will be required to have dedicated voice telephone lines, operable by a single switch, for an immediate connection to the available 911 emergency service.