Muncie Police Department asks for fewer city noise ordinance exemptions

The Muncie Police Department is asking the city’s Board of Works board to give out fewer late night noise ordinance exceptions.  IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports.

The city of Muncie has a strict noise ordinance that includes both decibel levels of noises and consideration of a gathering’s distance from other homes.  Exemptions for events can be given by the Muncie Board of Works.

But as Muncie Deputy Police Chief Chris Deegan says, exemptions limit simple ways officers have to shut down noisy parties in the college town.

“People in the neighborhoods call us, repeatedly, to deal with the noise problem, and we are left with no recourse.  That’s kind of why the ordinance is in place to begin with.”

Midnight shift supervisor Sergeant Dan Vogel says parties with late night noise exemptions can attract lots of people from in and out of Muncie.

“It’s not every frat house that has the exemption, it’s not every personal house has the exemption.  But if there’s one or two or three in that area, the hundreds of people who are out – they know it.  Someone gets a gun pulled on them.  They get something stolen or someone gets injured.”

Board of Works Chair Linda Gregory says the board will consider adding police or fire department approval of noise exemption requests at its next meeting.

Delaware County does not have a noise ordinance yet.  One has been introduced in draft form by the county commissioners, but action on the measure has been tabled at recent meetings.