(04/19/19) - Police in Bay City are cracking down on loud music, teens out after curfew, and much more.
It's part of an effort to improve the quality of life of people who live, work and play in Bay City.
"It's really modeled after the broken windows theory of policing, where crime and disorder, even in small amounts or small crimes in neighborhoods lead to bigger things," said Bay City Department of Public Safety Lt. John Harned.
As it warms up in the city by the bay police tend to get more calls about the so-called 'little things' that might go unnoticed at other times of the year. "In the summer people have windows open, people work at nights, so the loud stereos from businesses, cars, barking dogs. People will leave their dogs out all night. Loud motorcycles, typically motorcycles without mufflers running straight pipes," Harned said.
Lt. Harned has this rule of thumb about noise. "If it can be heard outside your vehicle, or your neighbors can feel the bass from it, it's too loud."
Lt. Harned said the quality of life enforcement also means keeping a close eye on parks where skateboards aren't allowed and people aren't supposed to be late at night.
Teens out past curfew are a common complaint too.
"A lot of our complaints for larcenies from vehicles, MDOP, graffiti, those are kids that shouldn't be out at that hour to begin with," Harned said.
Police and code enforcers also focus on blight in neighborhoods.
In a nutshell police are cracking down on all those things that irritate people.
"It's the emphasis on those smaller crimes, the quality of life issues, that can prevent some of the bigger crimes," Harned said.
Police can give you a ticket for many of these quality of life issues, you'll find more information about that on the department's Facebook page. Click on the 'Related Link' to go to the page.