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Resident urges stronger enforcement after repeated late‑night "bass" music; police say warnings and citations have been issued
Summary
Spanish Fort resident Levi Matthews told council repeated low‑frequency amplified music has disturbed his household for months; police said officers have responded, issued warnings and citations in some cases and asked for incident case numbers to pursue further enforcement.
During the public comment period, resident Levi Matthews described prolonged, amplified low‑frequency music ("bass music") that he said could be heard a quarter mile away and vibrated picture frames and windows in his home. "I'm talking about bass music that can be heard a quarter mile away in every room of my house," Matthews said, and described repeated late‑night occurrences, some as early as 12 a.m. and as late as 1 a.m.
Matthews said he had made about 26 calls to police and that officers responded each time but the activity continued; he also said video evidence alone was not sufficient under state law because an officer must witness the offense. "Video means nothing in the state of Alabama. Police officer has to witness it," he said.
Mayor acknowledged prior conversations with Matthews and asked police leadership to revisit patterns of occurrence and consider targeted deployment when repeat incidents are reported. "So when that does, you've got to call us right away to have an officer there," the mayor said.
A lieutenant with the police department (speaker 11) urged Matthews to provide the police report case number for any harassment report so staff could follow up and explained that officers sometimes issue advisories, warnings and, when warranted, citations. "I've seen on shift reports where they have written citations," the lieutenant said, and offered to call Matthews the next day to discuss the specific case status if Matthews provided the number.
The exchange ended with the mayor and council urging immediate reporting of incidents so officers can respond and build enforcement records. No formal council action was taken during public comment.
What happens next: The mayor asked Matthews to provide case numbers so the police lieutenant could follow up; council asked staff to reassess enforcement patterns and consider deploying officers around recurring incident times.
