Noise complaints are made when a certain noise level has been exceeded repeatedly. Your neighbors or co-tenants can call the police on you for noise disturbance. You also have the right to do the same as well.
Oftentimes, for the sake of good relations with your neighbors, it is advisable that you speak to your neighbor first about the noise level before you report to the police.
So, how fast do police respond to noise complaints?
The police can respond to noise complaints as fast as possible. The speed at which police respond to noise complaints depends on a number of factors. Sometimes, the police can arrive almost immediately. Other times, they can take hours to arrive at the scene.
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Can I Call the Police for Noise Complaint?
No one likes to be disturbed unfairly. If you find yourself in a situation where your neighbor is making a high level of noise constantly, you can engage such a neighbor in a discussion to resolve it.
If the neighbor does not want to talk or still continues with the noise, you are entitled to report to the police. The police will visit the apartment and issue a warning for a first-time offender.
How Fast Does Police Respond to Noise Complaints?
How fast police respond to noise complaints depends on these factors:
- The number of officers available in the area
- The number of calls received at the time you called
- The nature of other calls received
- The nature of the call you made to them, etc.
Calls made to the police are organized according to the level of severity.
A call on noise complaint is the lowest priority because it does not involve a threat to a life situation. It is usually at the far end of a list of prioritized calls.
When a call is received by the police, what they do is handle the cases according to the degree of severity. A call involving violence – armed robbery, kidnapping, hostage situation, medical cases, accidents, rape, the clash between people are usually attended to first before calls about noise complaints are attended to.
The reason is that noise will not affect you or others in a violent or severe way so the right steps have to be followed to ensure everyone is equally attended to in the area.
A noise complaint made to the police is a non-emergency call and will receive a response when there are free officers that can attend to it.
Can Police Enter Your Home Because of Noise Complaints?
It is pertinent for you to know that the police cannot enter your house at any time without a warrant. Except in cases where they are in hot pursuit of a criminal who fled from a crime scene.
Noise complaints from your neighbors to the police will likely result in a visit to your apartment. However, you are not obligated to open your doors to the police if you do not want to.
When the cops knock on your door, they expect you to answer the call to answer questions related to the complaints.
From research, as a citizen of the United States, it is your right to allow them in or not to allow them into your home is situated in the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
It’s even your duty as a citizen to make yourself available to these law enforcement agencies when they need you for something.
If the police gain entry into your home based on a noise complaint, they will be violating your rights and going against the law. You can sue the police for that.
Will You be Arrested If Police are Called for You for Noise Complaint?
A noise complaint is not a criminal offense, it is a civil case. When the police visit you and you are guilty of generating excessive noise that inconveniences other tenants, you will be issued a warning. But as a second-time offender, you can be fined or arrested depending on the level of noise made.
Can You Deny Noise Complaints if Police is Called?
Well, denial is your right so you can deny any allegation made against you. Noise complaints that lead to police visits are usually investigated.
If your neighbour made proof of the level of noise generated by you in the apartment, you can not deny that. The police will have sufficient evidence to issue you a warning.
However, to maintain good relations with neighbors, ensure you make amends when they come to complain about the noise you make. We are all humans and boundaries can be crossed accidentally so it is natural for you to apologize and watch your noise level.
What to Do If Police are Called on you for Noise Complaint?
If police are called to you because of noise, you can decide to answer the door or not, it is your choice. When you open the door to them, you will be asked questions regarding the level of noise you have been generating. The police will investigate to make sure you are not punished unfairly.
Noise complaints are usually made by neighbors who suffer the impact of your noise directly. These complaints can also be made by your landlord.
The police officers are not permitted to access your home without your permission, you can attend to the outside. It is vital that you know that the moment you allow them into your house, you have waived your constitutional rights against privacy.
If they get into your home and see other unrelated things, such as drugs, weapons, and all, you cannot use those rights in a court of law.
The police also do not have the search your house for music equipment without a warrant. Do not be ignorant of your rights. You can learn how to know who made a call to code enforcement against you.
Conclusion
A noise complaint is attended to by the police. The speed at which the police will respond to a noise complaint depends on some variables: the availability of officers, the volume of calls received, the time the complaint came in, etc.
Noise complaints are classified as low-priority cases. This means that the police will attend to it after other serious cases have been attended to.
When the police visit your home in response to a noise complaint made against you, you have the right to speak to them outside and not inside your home. They cannot force their way in.
In conclusion, noise complaints are handled by the police with the goal to ensure that the rights of everyone are not violated.
