By Dominic Konareski
Voice Writer
Early last month, West Haven City Council officials approved an amendment to the city’s noise ordinance allowing the use of automated noise-monitoring devices. These devices are commonly referred to as noise cameras, as the city continues to look for additional ways to enforce already existing noise regulations.
This new ordinance is in response to persistent complaints from residents mainly along the shoreline. Shoreline residents have long complained about excessive vehicle noise of cars that travel through the residential neighborhoods along the beach fronts.
According to Mayor Dorinda Borer, residents have raised concerns with one resident even stating how the noise from passing cars has made their house vibrate. Many of the residents’ complaints come during the night hours, which has affected sleep for some.
With that, the city plans to install four noise-detection cameras along the shoreline roads in locations that already have cameras actively present. It is important to note that these noise cameras are far different from red light cameras, but they do still alert West Haven Police when a vehicle over the noise threshold is recorded.
City officials plan that the installation could occur as soon as the end of October.
This ordinance also falls under Connecticut law, which allows municipalities to use photo noise violation monitoring devices to identify excessive noise vehicles. Connecticut State law has no max decibel limit and instead has a widely regarded 80-decibel threshold for a vehicle on both residential roads and highways, except for legal-use horns – although that is mainly up to a police officer’s discretion. The fine for a first offense runs $100 and can rise to a $250 tag for repeat violations with municipalities having the opportunity to elect an added processing fee up to $15.
The newly amended act by West Haven does not showcase every detail that is contained in the state statute, nor does it have a specific decibel level or a ticketing procedure. It is unclear if one will be formally announced.
The average decibel noise of a car can range from 45-to-70-decibles, depending on the speed of the car. Meanwhile, a car with a modified or aftermarket exhaust could produce between 95-to-105 DBs, with acceleration and higher RPM input as main contributing factors.
At press time, West Haven has approved the legal framework for the cameras but is yet to activate the system.
Many West Haven residents have expressed concerns with their privacy being impacted with these new cameras, especially with what is occurring just one town over in Milford with their Flock cameras.
West Haven’s ordinance states that the devices are to be used for noise-enforcement and public-health purposes. The ordinance also states that the recordings collected must be limited and cannot be used for general surveillance purposes, along with it not being allowed to be used for interception of private communications. Connecticut law also restricts the amount of information these devices could collect and how it could be used in the present and future.
Connecticut law requires any devices used for photo/recording purposes to capture images of the license plate of the vehicle in question, while limiting any potential exposure surrounding vehicles or occupants. Along with that, the information that is collected cannot be viewed, shared or stored for purposes unrelated to charging, collecting or enforcing the applicable fines.
As the cameras go up and West Haven moves forward, the effectiveness of the program over time will depend on placement and how consistent the ordinance is enforced.
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