Dublin Police will be using decibel meters to measure ‘extreme noise’

Dublin police and the city’s Prosecutor’s Office have announced they are going to crack down on noise ordinance violations this month in the city’s Historic Downtown area.

In response to resident concerns over loud engines and speeding, Dublin police will target excessive noise, speeding and unsafe operation of vehicles in the historic Dublin and Bridge Park corridors, as well as reckless operation in parking garages.

In a release announcing the crackdown, police consulted with Dublin Prosecutor Martin Nobile to outline what instances of “unreasonable and excessive vehicle noise” can be effectively enforced and prosecuted. The campaign seeks to decrease these disruptions in order to “maintain safe and peaceful public and residential spaces.”

Dublin police will be using decibel meters to measure “extreme” noise, and a reading pf 95 decibels or higher measured from a distance of 50 feet or greater is a violation of the city’s noise ordinance, the release said.

A decibel is a unit of measuring sound volume. According to Purdue University, a 95-decibel measurement is equivalent to a power mower or motorcycle at 25 feet. A normal passenger car at 65 miles per hour registers around 70 decibels at 25 feet.

Police will enforce a zero-tolerance policy and issue citations for stops including:

● intentional revving of vehicle engines

● excessive speed

● reckless operation

● operating a vehicle intoxicated

● street racing

The campaign will also focus on speeding on parts of I-270 within the city that may contribute to the noise level in downtown Dublin.

Cole Behrens is a reporter at The Columbus Dispatch covering public safety and breaking news. You can reach him at Cbehrens@dispatch.com