Police efforts stifle too-loud music
JOLIET NOISE ENFORCEMENT
By BRIAN STANLEY
bstanley@scn1.com
JOLIET -- The Noise Boys require a few tools police don't use every day. For Sgt. Dwayne Killian, it's his golf experience, a can of orange spray paint and
Carrie Underwood.
"Let's see what 75 feet is," Killian said as he maxes out the volume of the country music station playing "All-American Girl" on the stock stereo of his marked SUV.
Throughout the summer, officers on the Joliet Police Department's Safe Schools Unit have been targeting noisy radios in various areas of the city.
Joliet officers set up checkpoints for noise violations at Scott and Cass streets and Collins Street and Ward Avenue Tuesday afternoon. Drivers who violated the ordinance were given a $75 compliance ticket for illegal sound amplification and the vehicle was towed, which added up to more than $350 in fines for some violators.
He lowers the windows, gets out and shuts the door. He begins taking steady paces down the sidewalk and stops after counting off 25.
"From walking the golf course, I've learned I've got just about a three-foot stride. With the tape measure 25 of my steps are actually closer to 80 feet, but we're giving a little extra," he explained.
A small orange line marks the sidewalk 75 (or 80) feet from the intersection of Scott and Cass streets where Killian approaches Sgt. John Panizzo.
"Can you hear it," Killian asks. "Maybe I should have put on something with more bass, but that's full blast."
With traffic passing by, no one at the corner bothers trying, but when the street clears, Panizzo concentrates and is able to faintly discern Miss Underwood above the noise of the city. The deafening volume inside the SUV is a mere whisper here.
But other car stereos are clearly heard before they pass the orange line, and those drivers will be cited for violating the city's noise ordinances.
Targeting noisy points
Throughout the summer, Killian, Panizzo and other officers on the department's Safe Schools Unit have been targeting noisy radios in various areas of the city.
During Tuesday afternoon's enforcement, Officers Larry Brooks, Mike Pauly, Craig Vesper, Marty Ward and Dan Wooton set up checkpoints at Scott and Cass streets and Collins Street and Ward Avenue.
Officers who could hear a vehicle's stereo before it reached the orange line called the description in so a marked squad car waiting nearby could make a traffic stop. Drivers were given a $75 compliance ticket for illegal sound amplification and the vehicle was towed, which added up to more than $350 in fines for some violators.
Keeping the peace and quiet
"I still get more complaints about loud music than anything else at neighborhood meetings," said Chief Fred Hayes. "We took the initiative to begin ticketing and towing violators last year and saw improvement, but clearly it's still an issue. People have asked us to make this a priority."
"It's a quality-of-life issue. People should be able to enjoy their homes and not be rattled off the couch by a passing car."
Several of the drivers pulled over Tuesday admitted their stereos were turned up, but they felt having their cars towed without receiving a warning was unfair.
"It was a little loud, but I live in Chicago and there they don't say anything," Juan Padilla said as his car was towed.
Tom Pauson was also unhappy when he was pulled over near Division and Center streets.
"Compare my 400-watt stereo to everybody's 2000-watts, but I'm the one who gets in trouble," he said.
Pauson said he felt better knowing police have issued more than 110 noise citations over the last few weeks and he wasn't being singled out, but he wondered if noise enforcement should be a police priority.
"All the noise around here, I didn't think (car volume) mattered. You'd think they'd be chasing after the gunshots," he said.
A necessary enforcement
"We would rather be doing something besides standing out in the heat towing people's cars, but you can only warn people so many times," Killian said. "People say they just have a stock stereo. Then roll up your windows. That way everybody's happy."
Some drivers made frantic grabs at their dashboards as they passed the checkpoint at Collins Street and Ward Avenue and appeared to be given the benefit of the doubt, but Sam Garcia wasn't as lucky and his Dodge Durango was pulled over.
"I didn't think it was that loud. I saw (the officer) on foot, but didn't know what he was out there for. I didn't have enough time to turn it down," he said.
Garcia was also cited for driving on a revoked or suspended license and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. He expects he'll pay the fines instead of challenging the citation.
"I was just going out to get milk and get back home. I shouldn't have had the damn radio on," he said.
Joliet police look to stifle too-loud music :: Herald News :: News
