By Dawn Witlin
The Ventura County Star
FILLMORE, Calif. — Soon to be armed with a new device that can measure the intensity of engine and stereo noise, Fillmore police will be cracking down on loud vehicles in the community.
“I think that it’s going to be a big step forward,” said former Councilman Ken Smedley, a Fillmore resident for 15 years. “This boombox phenomenon has really exploded. I can’t spend a nice evening in my backyard without one of these vehicles going by every 14 minutes.”
According to Deputy Anthony L. Biter, motor officer for the city, Fillmore will be one of the first in the county to purchase a decimeter, an electronic device calibrated to gauge the level of noise from on- and off-road vehicles.
“It’s going to be an important tool,” Biter said.
He expects that the decimeter will aid law enforcement in much the same way radar works to prove a person is speeding.
“The officer will stop a vehicle he believes is over the sound level, then you have the vehicle rev up to a running speed,” Biter said. “Then the sound is captured and the decimeter shows the decibel reading of the exhaust, and they can be cited for having loud and obnoxious exhaust.”
Smedley said that in his experience working with Fillmore police, enforcement of noise ordinances is difficult when there is a lack of physical evidence.
“In order for anything to stand up in court, you need quantifiable evidence,” he said. “Without a qualified police officer and a qualified piece of equipment, it’s very difficult to make the loud noise issue stick to any vehicle infraction.”
The decimeter has a price tag of $2,200, Biter said. Classes to become certified in its use run roughly $300 to $350 per officer, he added.
Biter said he expects up to four officers to be certified by November.
Chris Real, president of Upland-based DPS Technical, which will train Fillmore’s officers in noise ordinance enforcement, applauded the move.
“Fillmore is taking a very proactive role in measuring on-road, as well as the off-road noise in the community,” Real said.
DPS Technical trains police officers throughout the state in environmental sound measurements, typically for recreational vehicles, and off- and on-road vehicles.
Real said Fillmore officers will become state certified through an eight-hour class covering proper equipment selection, how to properly take a noise measurement, presenting citations in court and understanding the basics of sound.
Copyright 2008 The Ventura County Star