(WXYZ) — Police in Wyandotte are running strict enforcement in the city’s downtown area this week, focusing on speeding, looping in parking lots, reckless driving and loud drivers.
Modified exhausts have become an increasingly common complaint in the area, especially once the weather gets warmer.
Numerous complaints from neighbors about the noisy cars has led to extra patrols here; we took a ride along with police, as they crack down now that summer gets underway.
"During the weekdays, it’s not too bad, but during the weekend, you hear a lot of noisy cars," said Elijah Marroquin, who lives in downtown Wyandotte.
Marroquin lives downtown and throughout the night inside his condo, he hears the noise.
"That definitely wakes me up, someone speeding," he said.
Wyandotte Police Chief Archie Hamilton says: “we're getting complaints of speeders, drag racers, loud exhausts, people revving their engines, loud motorcycles.”
Chief Hamilton says complaints for the noise have been increasing over the last year, and are even more common in the summertime. In the last week, police have had extra patrols downtown targeting speeders, reckless drivers, and loud drivers.
"You can tell when someone has engineered it to be louder than manufacturing," said Wyandotte police officer Morgen Gardocki.
We took a ride with officer Gardocki out on downtown traffic patrol; he says noise complaints are often about motorcycles, not just from the engine.
"As a motorcycle, they turn their radios up as loud as they can, so they can hear it over the sound of their motor and they just play it through the downtown area," said Gardocki.
But there’s also the case of modified exhaust systems on sports cars. Officer Gardocki sees those, too.
"Once a week at least, just had a guy the other night over the weekend — he had a Camaro with a modified exhaust so it sounded like a drag car instead of a Camaro,” he said.
Jim Bely is from Lincoln Park and says loud exhaust is an issue there, too.
“I hear it a lot in every city,” he said.
In the last 2 years, we’ve covered stories across metro Detroit, from Dearborn to multiple cities along Woodward, police are cracking down on loud exhaust. Earlier this year, a new bill was proposed in Lansing to make the punishment even stronger.
As for our ride along with officer Gardocki, no loud exhausts were found.
He did ticket one driver for speeding, and gave another a warning for a seatbelt violation as police vow to keep extra eyes, and ears on the downtown streets.
“I'm glad, I have to wake up early for work, so it’s definitely something I'd like them to work on," said Marroquin.
Now the fines for excessive noise could cost a few hundred dollars, but that bill working its way through Lansing right now would increase those fines to up to $1,000.
"You don't want to give your money to us and we don't want to take your money, but if you come down here and violate the law, we will gladly take your money," said Chief Hamilton.
