News from May 31, 2007 issue

Local News
The Crittenden Press (2 pages) PDF
(Selected pages 1A, 4B)
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Police hope to deafen noise with citations
That rumbling sound of straight pipes or glasspack mufflers may no longer be too cool.
City police are already cracking down on loud, performance-type exhaust systems that rattle windows on Main Street well into the night. Thumping bass stereo systems are also being called into question.
Ray O'Neal, assistant chief of police, says the enforcement of state and city noise laws is in direct response to dozens of complaints filed in the last few weeks. Phone calls to the police about loud pipes and annoyingly, high-volume music typically increases in the spring and summer. With motorcycles and more traffic on city streets, the din is sometimes problematic.
“The message we want to send is this: Keep it quiet in town,” O’Neal said. “We’re not targeting any specific group, we just think it's time to get a handle on the noise. People who live in town should have the same luxury of going to sleep at night as anyone else in the county.”
During two weekends in June and July alone, hundreds of motorcyclists rumble through town for the Hog Rock and Little Sturgis Rally gatherings nearby.
While performance pipes and speakers are certainly part of the problem, O’Neal says it’s not the equipment police are planning to target. It’s driving patterns and a lack of respect that will be judged.
“We’ve been giving warnings long enough. There will be no warning tickets. We're writing citations,” he added.
In most cases, police will ask the district court judge to compel the owner of the problem vehicle to remedy the situation by removing loud exhaust, plus face fines and court costs.
O’Neal stresses that the main focus will be on people who put a little too much push on the petal.
“If you drive right, you won’t have a problem,” the officer said. “But if you get on it in town, squall tires or play music too loud, you can expect a citation.”
The crackdown is backed by city ordinances and 65-year-old state noise regulations under Kentucky Revise Statutes 189. O’Neal said that music which is audible outside of the vehicle is also a violation of the Kentucky Noise Control Act.
“Honestly, careless driving is most of it. People need to curb their bad driving habits and they won't have much of a problem,” O'‘Neal said.