FILLMORE : Police to Bill Hosts of Noisy Parties
The hosts of noisy parties could be billed if police have to go to their residences more than once to quell a disturbance, the Fillmore City Council decided Tuesday.
“The first call will be a freebie,” said Lt. Dick Purnell, the city’s acting police chief. “If we go out again, they’ll be billed for it.”
Officials said police time is billed at a rate of $29.15 per hour, but a pay increase expected next month will increase that amount slightly.
Purnell told council members that his department responds more than once to disturbances at two or three parties every weekend. Two officers from the Ventura County sheriff’s substation in Fillmore typically spend from 20 minutes to two hours on each call, he said.
“This is taking officers off the street who should be doing other things and putting them in charge of people who can’t control their own parties,” Purnell said. He said hosts will be responsible for police expenses whether the event is in a residence or a public building.
The new ruling, which will take effect in March, is part of Fillmore’s cost-recovery program.
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