City introduces noise ordinance

Last year the Bloomington Police Department fielded 3,107 complaint calls concerning loud parties and disturbances. Earlier this year, city officials began taking steps to keep would-be noise ordinance violators muffled.\nMayor John Fernandez, in conjunction with BPD Chief Mike Hostettler and Safe and Civil City Program Coordinator Marsha Bradford, unveiled the "Quiet Nights Initiative" July 7. The two-part plan is aimed at helping curtail nighttime noise infractions in Bloomington neighborhoods. \nIt includes more than $60,000 of additional funding for educational outreach and increased police support to focus on noise violations. The supplementary funding will be included in the city's 2001 annual budget.\n"We hear from the people who live in the nearby areas that noise is a really big problem," Hostettler said. "They are our customers, and we try to do everything we can that will assist them with regard to violations of the law."\nThe first goal of the "Quiet Nights Initiative" is to educate Bloomington residents about the city's existing noise regulations and to warn residents about the punishments for violating these rules.\n"A key to a good neighborhood is mutual respect among neighbors," said Bradford in a statement to the press. "The educational component of this initiative will help lay out expectations and establish community norms."\nNick Hipskind, associate professor of speech and hearing, is a strong advocate of noise control and has offered his name and expertise to some of the new literature being distributed for educational purposes.\n"Noise does damage hearing," said Hipskind, also an associate dean of University Division. "It causes an irreversible loss, and you cannot fix it. And even though this type of noise, in all probability, is not going to cause a hearing loss to the neighbors, it is going to cause a real annoyance. \n"People don't have the right to play music so loud that it interferes with other people," he said.\nHipskind said he hopes these efforts to educate Bloomington residents produce an increase in responsible listening in the future.\n"I hope there are going to be some people who look at (the noise issue) and say, 'I really didn't think about it that way,'" he said.\nThe other component of this initiative that officials expect to help solve the noise problem is a 200 percent increase in spending for police enforcement. \nWith this additional funding, BPD will be able to provide more money for officers working overtime and for such special programs as the "Party Patrol."\n"Starting in January, there will be more funds in the overtime budget to allow us to have more officers on the street during peak times," said Hostettler. \nPeak times include the weeks at the beginning of the fall semester and the weekends leading up to the Little 500 bicycle race.\nIf residents are caught in violation of the Bloomington noise ordinance, they could face charges for a Class B misdemeanor. First-time offenders are issued warnings, but those who repeat the violation can be arrested. While this is not a new BPD policy, the possibility of arrest is something officials hope will make potential offenders think twice before turning up their stereos.\nStill, some students think the whole concept of noise control is ludicrous. Junior Jeffrey Schwab said he believes the city is impeding community communication and wasting time.\n"I think noise complaints are dumb," said Schwab, who lives off-campus in the Bryan Park area.\n"The neighbors can just ask you to be quieter. It's not really necessary to bring in a third party like the mayor or the police. Complain about your house burning down."\nTo be on the safe side, city officials such as Hostettler encourage Bloomington residents and off-campus students alike to make noise responsibly.\n"There are two things to keep in mind," Hostettler advised. "Don't draw attention to yourself by having loud parties where they're totally to the point of making the neighborhood shake with the noise. Just be concerned about your neighbors and think about how you would want to be treated. If those two things are done, I think everyone will be able to live very nicely"