MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Blaring loud music from a car along South Beach could soon be a thing of the past.
In conjunction with a new state law against loud music, the city of Miami Beach is considering launching its own pilot program to help turn down the noise.
The new state law allows police departments and cities to fine drivers blasting music or revving modified mufflers, and now we’re learning about a camera that could soon be used to track down violators.
Miami Beach residents John Sutter and his wife Frances say the noise is something they deal with day and night.
“It’s extremely disturbing, it affects our quality of life,” he said.
Miami Beach Commissioner Steven Meiner is proposing using noise cameras to track down drivers blasting music and revving their engines with illegally modified mufflers on their vehicles.
“I received so many complaints. It’s obnoxious, it’s illegal and now there’s a technology that can put an end to it,” Meiner said. “Sometimes sounds like gunfire.”
Local 10 News’ Christian De La Rosa spoke with acoustics engineer Reuban Peckham behind the London-based company manufacturing the cameras. They are already being used in New York City, Knoxville, Tennessee and Newport, Rhode Island.
“The system that we have, yes, it’s very, very accurate,” Peckham said. “There’s an algorithm there that detects excess noise, so revving, that creates a trigger.”
Aside from questions about accuracy, there are also questions about privacy.
To that point Peckham said the cameras are constantly recording, but also constantly deleting video, and it’s ultimately up to an officer to determine if someone will be fined.
Commissioner Miener will be proposing using the cameras at Friday’s city commission meeting as a pilot program.
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