Police chief wrongly rejects noise amendment initiative
With Spring Quarter just around the corner, that means more parties, more noise and more noise citations.
Student Senate’s Know Noise Task Force has drafted an amendment to the city’s noise ordinance that would lighten penalties and make enforcement more consistent. But Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle issued a statement against the initiative urging residents and students alike to vote against the amendment.
Pyle said he believes the initiative will create a rift between students and residents, but one already was created when the Athens Police Department changed its enforcement policy. But it is Pyle’s strong proclamation against the initiative that will further the rift.
We stand behind the Know Noise Task Force. Leaving the decision to cite up to an officer’s discretion creates inconsistency. A citizen warning should be required as the amendment proposes.
Most parties occur in highly student-populated neighborhoods close to campus, so noise would be expected and mostly go unreported. It is rather rare that students living in the mostly resident neighborhoods would throw loud parties.
But the most outrageous part is that a second citation within six months would result in students’ receiving a fourth-degree misdemeanor, which carries a fine of $250 and, atrociously, up to 30 days in jail. Unlikely as jail time might be, that threat does create a rift between students and residents.
To defend his stance, Pyle used the following analogy: “…would any voter ever consider disallowing officers from enforcing speed limits or red light violations unless a complaint was received, and only after a first complaint warning was issued?” He also asked the same about theft.
But comparing a noise violation, a mere inconvenience, to a speeding violation is ridiculous. Speeding and red light violations could lead to serious harm; a noise violation cannot. The two are not comparable; neither are noise and theft.
Instead of taking such a strong stance on such a contentious topic, Pyle should work on a more fair compromise. Otherwise, his accusation of Student Senate’s “knee-jerk reaction to erroneous assumptions” will reflect poorly on his department as a whole.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.
