New Noise Ordinance Gets Preliminary OK

If you’re prone to bursts of spontaneous song in the wee hours, be careful in Buena Park.

City officials gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a new noise ordinance that cracks down on loud noises from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.--from produce truck horns to whistling.

Local gadflies wasted little time faxing out a warning that the city was outlawing happy tunes.

But Police Capt. Gary Hicken pointed out that tunes aren’t all that happy when they wake people up at 3 a.m.

“Actually, from time to time, people get drunk and they sing and they whistle and they do other annoying things,” Hicken said.

“It may seem a little ludicrous to the general public, but it’s really just one tiny component of an ordinance that deals with all kinds of noise problems.”

Police Chief Richard M. Tefank drafted the new ordinance, modeled on similar laws in La Mirada and Huntington Beach, because his officers were unable to effectively crack down on produce trucks waking residents with loud honking at 4 a.m.

Current Buena Park law requires officers to use a decibel meter to determine if the noise qualifies as a nuisance.

“It’s really not practical to have a cop standing out there with a decibel meter,” Hicken said.

The new ordinance allows officers the option to issue a misdemeanor citation if the ruckus is disturbing to a “reasonable person” 50 feet away.