Neighborhood Issues and Who to Call

Many neighborhoods never have to experience it, but some do: Noisy neighbors. Parties out of control. Dogs barking through the night. Stuff like this is what drives many people almost insane. Instead of everyone being a little more considerate – especially during night time – some people choose just to be ignorant. Sometimes a friendly talk from person to person will resolve an issue, but sometimes this is just not enough.

How do you solve such a situation? Who do you call? Well, forget about calling the HRCA if it comes to anything that is outside of the covenant rules and regulations. If your neighbors backyard looks like a jungle of weeds and 2 feet high grass – that’s when you call the HRCA. But what if the house next door has been rented out to a bunch of college kids that party every night and do not care that you have to get up at 5 AM to go to work and will need your sleep. Calling 911 is a little drastic as it is not an emergency really. You could block critical resources that affect someone else’s life.

This morning I went shopping at King Soopers and the Douglas Country Police had a table/booth near the entrance and a big sign:

Got a question? Ask a Cop!

I used that opportunity to talk to the 2 very friendly police officers and inquired about how to deal with neighbors that are just a little too noisy during the night. We do actually have a house in our neighborhood where 5 or 6 college kids moved in earlier this year. We talked to them already once and so did a neighbor, but all our inquiries only work for a few weeks and then the nightly noise level goes up again – often ‘til 3 or 4 in the morning. So, I used that as an example when “asking a cop” for advice. My appreciation goes out to the Douglas County Police Officers who provided me with helpful information. Thank you.

Do not call 911 unless there is a real emergency (fighting, etc.). Call the Douglas County Police Dispatch and they will send somebody out to take care of the situation. What number do you need to call? Call 303-660-7500 and have all the necessary information handy. Provide information about the situation, which house (house number/street) is the noise coming from and whatever else you deem critical to get the situation explained.

Disclaimer: If you feel that a situation requires faster response and is eventually life threatening, do call 911. This article is a generic response in regards how you could handle a certain situation.