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Article published Apr 4, 2005
Nice spring weather carries problems outdoors

Spring has arrived. The vernal equinox has come and gone. The weather is warming. After a long and dreary winter, it's difficult to find any fault with that. But for cops, spring has a down side. People are out and about, windows and doors are open, and there are more ways for neighbors to irritate neighbors.

The first big problem that emerges is music, loud music that some with different tastes consider noise. The legal definition of noise is "any unwanted sound." "If your neighbors can hear it, you have to turn it down," Police Sgt. Bob Lipps said.

When the evenings are nice, the "boom boxes" come out; cars with windows rolled down thump as they go by; houses vibrate from the pumped up bass on stereos.

Richmond has a noise ordinance. People who don't turn down the music can be issued a citation that costs them $50. "If we get called back on the same shift, the second ticket costs $100," Lipps said.

Arguing won't help. It could lead to a misdemeanor arrest for disorderly conduct. The city ordinance isn't restricted to loud music. It covers other sources of irritation from the roar of power tools to rowdy parties.

Noise isn't the only problem police face when the weather turns nice. More people out on porches and sidewalks produce more conflicts. "We had 107 calls last Wednesday," Lt. Melody Truitt said. She supervises the second-shift patrol division. Temperatures hit a high of 76 on Wednesday, the warmest it's been since sometime fall 2004.

Police take a pro-active stance in dealing with the "problems" of good weather. The bicycle patrols have resumed, weather permitting, and officers are parking their cruisers more and walking the neighborhoods. Cops are like everyone else -- happy the bleak winter is ending. Police don't want to ruin anyone's enjoyment of the rites of spring. But they also are charged with keeping the peace, even when spring is the mischief in our souls.