[Tommy]

I live in a small, rural town that is generally quiet except for the thumping bass from an occasional passing car. But, a business owner about 400 feet from me started renting an open room in his building for "private parties." About once a month, I'd start to hear the deep thump of the bass line from a hiphop song I didn't know shaking the walls of my home. It would usually start at about 8 PM and go to as late as 3 AM. I tried visiting the owner once, and then started calling the police when I was awakened at 1 AM. I discovered that it usually took about 20 minutes for the police to arrive, and the volume was only turned down for a minute or two on the first visit. It would take another 20 minutes after my second call, so I'd be wide awake for an hour or more in the middle of the night before things would quiet down.

I went to city hall and read up on the noise ordinance. It turns out they were clearly in violation and could be fined on a scale that escalates after each violation. I told the police chief that rather than telling the offenders to turn down the volume each time, I would like to see them receive a ticket that would cost the owner money. I figured the owner would police the parties better if he knew it was going to cost him money. I also started calling in my complaints well before bedtime so the police would have time to quiet things down before I went to sleep.

My advice to you is to complain to police early and often. Make it clear to them that quieting a loud party is not the goal. Your goal is for the party to not get loud enough to call police in the first place. Also, unless you are the only neighbor to the loud folks, they will not know who complained unless you or the police tell them.