America the Messy Yard Police State

No cop sent for barking dog! But don't mow your law and we will send out a messy yard cop and seize your home!

This is one of my biggest complaints about government! The only time I have ever called the cops was to complain about barking dogs that were keeping me awake or loud parties.

In Phoenix and Tempe the standard answer from the cops is F*CK YOU we are not sending a cop out. You have to get 3 of your neighbors and file a complaint about the dog. First I am a goddamn introvert and dont even know one of my neighbors so they won't help me and besides I want the damn dog to stop barking now, not next month! And second when three fourths of the tax dollars the city of Tempe and Phoenix collect are spent on the police department, so why can't you send a cop out to my complain about people distrubing the peace.

And my neighbor in Tempe was a cop and always had loud parties. The worthless Tempe pigs were no help whatsoever in shutting down their party animal pigs!

Last but not least why on earth do they send a messy yard cop out to your home when a neghibor files an anonymous complaint but they won't send a real cop out when you have a barking dog problem. And of couse they will seize your home if you don't mow your lawn, but they won't stop the barking dog. F*ck the bastards government is worthless!

Source

Avondale seeks changes for tighter animal-noise law

by David Madrid - Aug. 3, 2009 12:00 AM

The Arizona Republic

Some Valley cities are making sure they stay out of neighborhood vendettas disguised as barking-dog complaints.

Avondale is the latest to consider tightening its animal-noise ordinance after the southwest Valley city wasted months dealing with a lone resident who filed more than two dozen complaints.

Ordinances that regulate dog-bark complaints vary widely. Some cities tend to favor the upset neighbor, while others place a heavier burden of proof on the resident registering a complaint. Avondale's proposal would bring the law in line with Gilbert's, requiring two residents from separate households to file a complaint.

Phoenix requires three people to sign a petition, but it allows for other ways for a single resident to file the complaint.

Tempe requires that three complaints be filed and a log kept.

In Avondale, it is illegal to harbor or keep animals that disturb the peace with loud noises. Assistant Police Chief Lynn Parkin says that wording is too broad and open to interpretation.

The new ordinance would require at least two people who are not related and who live in separate residences to sign a petition against the owner of a nuisance animal. Those who complain would have to testify in court or the case would be dismissed. No anonymous complaints would be allowed.

The system should work well if Gilbert is any indication.

"It eliminates the problem of one neighbor who generally dislikes another neighbor, and they're going to complain about them because they say the dog is barking," Gilbert police Lt. Hugh White said. "It eliminates that part of it because now you need two people instead of just one person who may have a beef with that neighbor."

That's why Avondale police favor new rules.

"What this petition would do if we had two people to sign it, it kind of acts as the reasonable suspicion that there's something going on," Parkin said.

The change stems from a resident filing 28 dog-barking complaints against three neighbors from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31.

Before the resident moved into the neighborhood in October, there were no dog-barking complaints there, Parkin said. The two dog owners at the center of the complaints "felt that the complainant in both of those cases had, at night, taken a flashlight and had walked behind their homes and flashed the flashlight at the dog, antagonizing the dog to bark," Parkin said.

Both said that after the dogs barked, the flashlight-wielding neighbor called police. One resident got rid of the dog. Mediation was arranged, and in January, the neighbors agreed to communicate with each other and leave out the police.

Until early April, there were no barking-dog complaints, but police research showed the person complaining appeared to be out of town. Once the resident returned, the gripes resumed.

A police officer and the dog owner showed up for court on July 1, but the neighbor who complained did not, so the case was dismissed.

"If someone files that many complaints and it goes to court and they don't show up to court . . . there needs to be some kind of fine, some kind of way to recoup the dollars," Avondale Vice Mayor Ken Weise said.

"If (the resident is) not willing to follow through on a complaint like this, then there has to be some kind of reparations that come back to the city."

The proposed ordinance is expected to be presented before the City Council this month.

More on this topic

Animal-noise control

This is a summary of some noise ordinances around the Valley:

• Chandler - A police officer will be dispatched on all barking-dog complaints. The officer will research the history of the premises for past barking-dog calls. If no previous barking-dog history exists, a warning will be issued. The person complaining will be informed that there is no previous dog-barking history, but that a warning was issued. The person complaining will be told to keep a log documenting the noise. If there is a barking-dog history, the officer will issue a citation.

• Gilbert - A person cannot harbor a noisy dog or animal in the city if it disturbs the peace. At least two people from separate residences must sign a complaint petition for a summons to be issued.

• Glendale - No dog that makes noise, has a habit of barking or howling and disturbs the peace of a neighborhood shall be kept in the city. Enforcement is handled by city code enforcers. The person complaining must fill out and submit an online form.

• Phoenix - No person within the city shall keep a dog that is in the habit of barking or howling or disturbing the peace and quiet. To make a complaint, at least three people must sign a petition, and no more than two petitioners can be from the same residence. If no other petitioner is involved, a videotape of the barking dog and a log can be submitted . An audio tape with a log also can be submitted, as can a written log.

• Surprise - No person shall allow a dog that the person keeps, harbors or maintains to bark in a repetitious or disturbing manner or that unreasonably disturbs the peace and quiet of another person. If enforcement agents are called to investigate, a citation may be issued during a first or second disturbance.

• Tempe - City code requires at least three complaints, and a log must be completed . An inspector reviews the logs and contacts the petitioners to verify the information, and a notice to comply is sent to the violator. If the animal owner does not voluntarily comply with the notice instructions, a citation will be issued. All those who sign the petition must testify in court

 
 

America the Messy Yard Police State