Athens mayor Paul Wiehl and Police Capt. Tom Pyle reported on the noise ordinance to student senators last night, addressing concerns and answering questions about its effects this Fall Quarter.
We have stepped up the bar in terms of noise enforcement
Wiehl said.
Pyle announced in August the Athens Police Dept. would begin enforcing the current noise ordinance more strictly. The new policy allows officers to warn or cite an offender on sight without first receiving a complaint.
This fall, officers have been warning houses more often than citing them, as only 72 citations have been issued out of 245 complaints, Pyle said.
However, on-view complaints initiated by officers, which are allowed by the new enforcement policy, only accounted for 41 of those complaints, he said, adding that arrests have been infrequent.
Officers decide on a case-by-case basis whether to issue a warning or citation, depending on the noise level, time of night, the owner's compliance and other factors.
(It) was never designed to stop a party he said. Wiehl said pamphlets of information about the noise ordinance are being distributed to make sure students and other residents know how it works.
I think they know more than they have in the past he said.
University Life Commissioner John Calhoun said some students do not know enough about noise enforcement.
There are still students who have questions
he said.
Calhoun set up a page on Facebook called Noise Ordinance Enforcement: Tell Us Your Story! to collect feedback from students about their experiences with the ordinance. Over 600 students have joined.
The majority of what I've heard is they don't like it
he said, adding students have mentioned the lack of mandatory warnings before citations as a problem.
Pyle said the policy has been successful so far and students have been receptive to it.
I think they've done a fantastic job responding to our requests and keeping it down
he said.
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Joe Fox
