Elgin police pumps up ticketing of loud car stereos
"Pump Up the Volume" was a dance hit in the late 1980s, but if you adopt that as your mantra it could cost you in Elgin in 2008.
Police have pledged a no-nonsense, zero-tolerance approach for the city's noise ordinance this year.
"We have no warnings," Deputy Chief Jeff Swoboda said. "It is strictly enforced. There will be no breaks."
The city's law is one of the toughest in the area.
If music from a car stereo can be heard from 75 feet away, the vehicle will be towed and searched.
A $250 bond, plus a towing fee, must be paid to get it back.
The $250 sum is the same amount as the court fine if the driver is found guilty.
The bond figure was selected to make it easier for the city to collect the fine if the driver is found guilty.
Penalties in other communities vary.
In Carpentersville, loud noise and music could subject a person or motorist to a $100 bond and a court date.
West Dundee Police Chief Dave Sawyer said his department issued five or fewer $50 tickets for noise last year.
"It's never really been an issue," he said.
East Dundee Police Chief Terry Mee also said loud music from cars has not been a problem in the village.
Swoboda said Elgin residents have made it loud and clear that they won't tolerate music from cars that rattle house windows.
"This is one of the No. 1 complaints from residents," he said. "Sometimes, you'll hear the bass and you have to wait and see where the car is coming from."
Swoboda said police are targeting neighborhoods, not necessarily thoroughfares such as Route 25 and Randall Road.
Last year, Elgin officers issued about 400 noise tickets.
One tactic is to have a plainclothes officer measure 75 feet from a stop sign in a neighborhood that has made complaints or has gang activity.
The officer will watch and listen for cars at the intersection and then call ahead to squad cars to pull over the offender.
Swoboda also noted that stock stereos from newer cars also can produce enough decibels to warrant a ticket.