WLIP NEWS:

There you are, waiting at a traffic signal, wincing at the loud thumping of the stereo blasting from a nearby car. Milwaukee Ald. Bob Donovan believes people in every neighborhood have been "plagued" by some car's noisy music. He has outlined his concerns to Milwaukee aldermen, who approved the measure unanimously last weekend in the Public Safety Committee and are set to hear the measure before the full council this month.  Donovan is author of a measure that would make car owners with noisy stereos pay a fine. Richard Withers of the Legislative Reference Bureau says residents would have to complain to police first.

At that hearing Donovan said "In my estimation there's nothing more frustrating than having to sit down
on your front porch or in your living room in the evening and enjoy some peace and quiet, and be disturbed by the obnoxious sound of a loud car stereo and the bass rattling your windows. And of course I think I speak for all my colleagues when I say that this is an issue that comes up at every community meeting," Donovan said.

Here's how the crackdown would work if aldermen vote the plan in:

A citizen would phone in a vehicle description and license number. Police may then issue a warning letter to the registered owner of the vehicle, thereby putting the owner on notice that the vehicle
has been used in a violation. If there are future complaints about the same car or truck, its owner would then be fined at least $100 on each occasion. Deputy Police Inspector Mary Hoerig says the fine is meant to help pay for the cost of responding to complaints, everything from the time spent by dispatchers,
telecommunicators, investigating officer(s), the administrative costs, and other costs associated with processing the case declaring it a nuisance vehicle.

Hoerig says the Milwaukee police chief also backs the proposed ordinance. At the Common Council a
majority of members support the plan. If approved, the ordinance could apply to "excessive" or "nuisance" music and other sounds coming from cars, trucks and motorcycles.