Police crack down on noise violation offenses

Drinks, people, loud music.

Most parties on campus don't seem to be complete without these three elements.

But for those considering hosting a party soon in Ann Arbor, that last item may not be such a good idea.

With the school year barely underway, Ann Arbor Police Department officials have already issued stacks of noise violations to party-throwers, and expect to give out many more.

The citations for noise violations, which most often result in a $100 fine but can technically cost the recipient up to three months in jail, are issued when police receive a call from a neighbor complaining about too much noise drifting from a cert

SEDER BURNS/Daily Two Ann Arbor Police officers issue a noise violation ticket Friday to partiers at 719 McKinley St.

ain house.

AAPD officials say that when cruising the streets at night, they leave loud parties alone unless they receive a call from an irritated neighbor.

"In my 12 years (with the police department), I've never driven by a party and just stopped because there was noise," said AAPD Sgt. Michael Logghe.

LSA sophomore and Delta Tau Delta fraternity member Doug Kohen said he was present recently when police officers issued a noise violation at his house, which resulted from a neighbor's complaint.

"It was a very sketchy situation," Kohen said. "We asked them, if using their own discretion ... would they have given us a noise violation, and they said 'no.'"

Kohen said he was upset when the violation was issued because the noise was being contained in the house at the time. "The house was soundproofed pretty well. You couldn't really hear it from the sidewalk," he said.

One student, who did not wish to be named, said that his fraternity received a noise violation two weekends ago. "The police came and made everybody leave from our house that didn't live there," the student said.

AAPD Sgt. Larry Jerue said that since a noise violation citation is a misdemeanor, the maximum penalty possible is 90 days in jail and/or a $100 fine.

However, Jerue emphasized that it would be highly unusual for a student to serve jail time for playing music too loud.

"Jail time is normally not imposed on first offense, but it certainly can be," he said.

Those receiving a citation are required to appear in court on the first Friday following the citation, Jerue said.

Logghe said that each fall, the department sees an increase in noise offenses "because you have a new influx of students ... therefore more parties happen in the fall than among any other time of the year."

Police advise students who want to avoid fines to caution neighbors of their party plans and soundproof their homes by placing boards or mattresses over the windows.

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