PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Last week, Philadelphia approved a bill that will allow police to enforce laws against overly-loud vehicles using noise detectors.
The city has a law that prohibits vehicles from emitting sound that can be heard at a distance greater than 100 feet, but enforcement has been a problem. The bill, sponsored by councilmember Mark Squilla, will create a system of decibel-reading meters to be installed on South Street and near the Delaware River, where most complaints originate, and allow the city to issue tickets to offending vehicles by mail after an initial warning period.
“It stops the engagement process. It stops any profiling process from people saying they were targeted, or things like this,” Squilla said. “It just actually has the sound, takes a picture of the license plate, and then we’ll be able to issue those warnings in the mail.”
Some public commenters raised concerns about creating a “surveillance state” with the technology, but Squilla said it is no different than using red light or speed cameras to enforce traffic laws. The system will be run by the Streets Department, which will generate regulations for its use.