Arizona House lawmakers have approved a bill making it more difficult for police to issue noise citations.
In Arizona, it’s up to local law enforcement to determine whether a noise complaint is worth issuing a ticket.
"It's being used by one city attorney to target a local business,” state Rep. Kelly Townsend told fellow House members Monday.
She authored the bill on behalf of the Hitching Post, an Apache Junction restaurant, fighting multiple noise complaints by neighbors.
She has argued, without a meter to officially measure noise levels, officers have too much latitude to abuse that authority.
"What this is doing is allowing that person that's having to defend themselves to say, 'There was no noise because the guy came with his noise-ometer, whatever you call them, and they took a reading and there wasn't a nuisance,''' she said.
At one point, Democratic Rep. Isela Blanc of Tempe challenged Townsend’s inability to explain how the required measuring devices would work.
"If we're not experts in the American Standard, we're expecting law enforcement to be experts in that," she asked lawmakers.
"I would hope that law enforcement is an expert on the laws that they are required to enforce,” Townsend said.
She admits her legislation has no funding and will leave equipment purchases and enforcement up to each community.
The bill now heads to the Senate.
