Police give ice cream driver tickets for playing music too loud

BRUNSWICK - The familiar summer sounds of the ice cream truck making its way down neighborhoods and announcing itself by blaring upbeat music may be a thing of the past. <br> <br> In Brunswick, complaints about ice cream trucks playing their music too loud and too late have prompted city officials to watch, listen and issue tickets to drivers violating the city&#39;s noise ordinance. <br> <br> Last week, three citations were issued when a police officer heard ice cream driver Angela Hand playing her music too loudly. <br> <br> Hand&#39;s tickets were for: a violation of the city&#39;s noise ordinance, which carries a $360 fine; driving with a suspended license, which carries a maximum $600 fine; and driving with no proof of vehicle insurance, which carries a $240 fine. <br> <br> The citations have launched a public debate, creating somewhat of a meltdown in the city, said Joe Willie Sousa, the morning host of country music station WYNR-FM in Brunswick. <br> <br> Sousa said he&#39;s gotten several calls from listeners complaining about the police picking on ``the ice cream man.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> ``One woman called in and said anybody that would ticket the ice cream man would probably kill kittens,&#39;&#39; Sousa told The Florida Times-Union. <br> <br> Others claim the police are going after ice cream trucks because they&#39;re earlier to chase down than some of the faster vehicles blasting music. <br> <br> Brunswick Police Chief T. C. Cowan said the criticisms are unfair because officers frequently site other drivers for loud stereos. And in the case of Hand, two of the tickets were for violations other than loud music, Cowan said. <br> <br> Brunswick Mayor Brad Brown said cracking down on loud ice cream trucks is a logical response to the complaints the city has been receiving. <br> <br> Brown said he objects to the trucks operating late at night, and playing annoying versions of ``Turkeys in the Straw,&#39;&#39; and ``When the Saints Go Marching In.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> ``One (truck) came by my house at 9:15 (p.m.),&#39;&#39; Brown said. ``That&#39;s a little late for kids to be out buying ice cream when it&#39;s dark.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Ray Gray, who manages a four-truck ice cream fleet for JD&#39;s Fatcat Ice Cream, said pumping loud music through the air is necessary to stay in business. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s summer, the air conditioners are on and they&#39;re inside with the doors and windows closed,&#39;&#39; Gray said. ``You&#39;ve got to pull them out of the house.&#39;&#39;

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/6/193770