Is there any value or usefulness in documenting the hours and duration of the barking with audio/video recording equipment? You know.... making an ongoing, lengthy detailed log with proof, time stamp, perhaps geotagging.... with the right equipment.... I assume you've thought of this. Have you priced your own decibel meter for same purpose?
I think it's safe to assume the courts are not going to entertain a long duration lengthy presentation of
the facts. Particularly small potatoes noise complaint. Personally documenting hours and duration can be fabrication. I absolutely have audio/video recordings, quite a few. In fact I played one for the female deputy, admitting it was not recorded that particular evening/morning. Given her smirk, given the dogs were quiet when she arrived and did not bark until we went back there, the wording of the incident report she wrote, she suspects I am provoking those dogs to bark. Another interesting factoid, she wrote I called E911, emergency number, for a noise complaint. False, I called the non-emergency number. Paranoia is possibly warranted, possible setup for misuse of emergency 911 number? Subsequent calls about the noise and a request to have someone
go there, not here to my property, I don't trust them....I have asked if the call is being recorded. Affirmative. "Good", I says. Without any questioning or input from me dispatch has stated they can hear the dogs barking in the background. I make sure of it, always making the call outdoors where the dogs can clearly be heard.
For anyone who is interested: The noise ordinance here is somewhat vague. Such language as "frequent", "long duration", words which are a matter of interpretation. In researching, some jurisdictions in this country have seen a need to change the laws to be more specific, such as continuous barking for 30 minutes of an hour's time, 1 hour cumulative over a 24 hour time period, that sort of thing.
A personal decibel meter? Is it calibrated correctly, etc? It's problematic.
Related to the decibel meter/reading, I have another story! Stay tuned til the end for the bizarre.
The dogs had been raising hell, for hours. All day, really. I hate to do it, I really do, who wants to call the police on your neighbors, invest time and energy making that call, dealing with the crap....but I made the call. I think 4th total, the last since. I specifically request, go there, don't come to my property. Once bitten twice shy. Over an hour and a half later, I get a call apologizing for the delay coming out, it's election night and they've been really busy. You know, really nice, really really nice. "Well what's going on out there, Mr Mick?", tone of voice indicating he really, really cares. Yeah. Once bitten twice shy, I tell him, calm collected, just the facts, not overly talkatve, nothing that could be twisted, or recorded I would regret saying later. He says, get this...."Well Mr Mick, there's been a decibel reading taken there and it didn't exceed the maximum noise level." First, what's going on out there my ass, he sourced that information from somewhere prior to the call. Second, it's false, the reading was 77db, overnight hours max is 52db, which in the fewest words possible I informed him. He seemed a bit surprised. I also stated per the ordinance where the reading was to be taken. "Yeah yeah, I'll be headed out that way shortly, apologize it has taken so long." Mm hm, yeah. Approx an hour later he calls me again saying he is pulling in my driveway, even though I asked they do not come here. Of course as luck would have for the first time all day long the dogs are quiet as a mouse. Crazy, can't win. One of the first things he says, get this, "I was just talking to my supervisor and a decibel reading does not apply to this situation." Full disclosure, I've read the ordinances up and down, and that was my interpretation as well, decibel reading applies to
man made sound, loud music, machinery, whatever. What am I going to do, they come here and do a reading and I tell them how to do their job? However, seems odd a decibel reading counts when it dismisses my complaint, but doesn't count when it proves a legit complaint, an ordinance violation. He brings up letter of the law vs spirit of the law, which I don't know where he's going with that. I think I'm somewhat intelligent, reasonably so, I understand the concept. Cop sees a car parked in a handicap spot, doesn't as required by law have handicap plates. Cop starts to write a ticket when he notices a guy on crutches with a broken leg approaching. Cop writes a ticket for no handicap plates(letter of the law), or sees the guy is having a tough time so gives him a break with no ticket(spirit of the law). Anyway, other than that he's really, really understanding. I mean really nice. Too damn nice, I'm not going to let my guard down. He tells me he has to witness the barking and the next time they start he will come sit out there and as soon as they are raising hell he'll go right over there and write an ordinance violation. Whoa, maybe I'm getting somewhere here. Gives me his schedule for the next few days. I just have to call dispatch and request him come out.
I'm liking it. I think? Some of the things he said, though. For instance, "When my dogs get to barking I know someone is out there." Goes to or insinuates I am provoking the dogs to bark when I call? I want to trust this guy, but I do not. Not totally.
Now to the bizarre....
