Park La Brea : Noise Ordinance Enforced

It was that quiet time before dawn. The neighborhood was La Brea and 9th avenues. The driver stole up to the trash bin and, in the dark, unloosed his hydraulic-driven prongs, seizing and emptying the container in one noisy, window-rattling motion. But by then, it was already too late.

Patrolling the area were two members of the LAPD’s Noise Enforcement Team (NET), diligently watching for violations of the city’s anti-noise ordinance. Quickly, they swooped in and cited the Shubin Disposal Service driver, who they say made the mistake of pulling up a mere 20 feet from a residence at 5 a.m. Under the city’s anti-noise ordinance, trash pickups cannot be made within 200 feet of a residential building between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Violations are a misdemeanor.

In this case, the alleged lawbreaker could be a repeat offender. Last year, the Montebello-based Shubin Disposal paid $1,360 in fines and costs for picking up in a Palms neighborhood at 1:20 a.m. Team members were on patrol in that instance as well.