Cactus Village Community

Loud Noise Problems ...By CAO Karen Hughes

Jul 14, 2003

As a CAO I frequently receive calls from citizens complaining about loud noise from vehicles driving through the neighborhood, from parties in neighbors?’ yards, and from stereos played both inside and outside neighbors?’ homes. Actually the list of locations and sources of such complaints is long and varied, but I think you get the picture?—noise is a problem in the City of Phoenix.

Often a simple contact with the person?’s responsible for the noise remedies the problem. Occasionally, however, the fix is not so simple and citizens who are disturbed by chronic loud noise and want it to stop must request prosecution of the violator.

The City Code covering noise disturbances says, ?“Noise of such character, intensity or duration as to be detrimental to the life or health of any individual or in disturbance of the public peace and welfare is hereby prohibited.?”

Victims of a noise disturbance can aid the police department and increase the chances of a conviction by simply making an audiotape of the noise that is disruptive and disturbing to them. The audiotape should be impounded as evidence by the police officer that responds to the call and takes the report.

It should be noted that certain elements help to make the audiotape a more effective piece of evidence. These elements are verbal documentation of the date, time of day, location of the victim (whether inside or outside the house) and status of doors and windows (are they open or closed at the time of recording). The location of the source of the noise relative to the location of the victim while recording the noise is also appropriate information.

Remember that because calls for service must be prioritized in order of the level of emergency, a loud noise complaint is assigned the lowest priority and response time might be rather long. When you call crime stop 602-262-6151 for such a complaint, request contact from the responding officers. If you do not request contact, the officers will drive through the area and listen for the reported noise but they may fail to hear it especially if some time has lapsed since the call was first received by a dispatcher.

So in a nutshell if you have a noise complaint in your neighborhood, call police and let them make contact with the violator. If the complaint is not resolved by the officer?’s contact and the noise disturbance becomes chronic you as the victim can seek prosecution by making an audiotape of the noise and asking the police to take a report. Remember the tape is important evidence because it demonstrates to a judge the level of disruption the noise disturbance presented to you?—the victim
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