SOP-19 Loud and Unruly GatheringsPolice Services Division
SOP-19
February 8, 2013
SUBJECT: Loud and Unruly Gatherings
PURPOSE: To establish a procedure for citing, documenting and following up on Loud
and Unruly Gatherings. In order to effectively enforce and uphold the Rohnert Park
Municipal Code sections 9.48.010 through 9.48.100.
I. PROCEDURE:
A. Initial Response
1. Patrol Responsibilities
a. Make contact with the owner, resident, event organizer, and/or
other responsible person(s).
b. An officer may take pictures and/or video of the party location
(inside, outside and neighborhood).
c. Complete the Notice of Public Nuisance form; include the date,
address, issuing officer, and case number.
d. The form needs to be prominently displayed. Confer with the
owner, resident, event organizer, and/or other responsible
person(s) to determine a suitable location for the form which
will be visible and well protected. Inform the owner, resident,
event organizer, and/or other responsible person that removal
or defacement of the form during the subsequent 365 days will
result in a $100 fine.
e. If the owner, resident, event organizer, and/or other responsible
person(s) is unwilling or unable to confer with the responding
officer regarding posting of the notice, the officer shall
determine the best location for the notice to be posted.
f. The officer will complete an Incident Report and include a
narrative describing the interaction between officers and
the responsible party/guests and the unlawful conduct; such
as excessive noise or traffic, obstruction of public streets
by crowds or vehicles, public drunkenness, the service of
alcohol to minors, fights, disturbances of the peace and
litter, etc.
g. The officer will include the property owner in the Incident
Report under the [People] module.
h. Place the yellow and the pink copy in the Report Review Tray.
2. Dispatch Responsibilities
a. Dispatch will enter all the responsible property owners and
their information into the call for service remarks.
b. Dispatch will determine if there were one or more prior
responses by checking the LOI information on the address. If a
response is found within the last 365 days the call will turn
into a subsequent response. If it is determined to be a
subsequent response, Dispatch will also add the original case
number to the event remarks.
3. Supervisor Responsibilities
a. Review the Party Notice form and approve the Incident Report.
4. Records Responsibilities
a. Records will mail the Notice of Public Nuisance copy to all
responsible property owners.
b. The Loud Party Cases spreadsheet will be updated with the
date mailed and identification number of the person mailing the
letter.
B. Subsequent Response
1. Patrol Responsibilities
a. If your response is determined to be a subsequent response
within an existing 365 day warning period, complete another
Party Notice Form, noting the appropriate number of the
response at the bottom of the page. The event number will be
new, but use the same incident number as from the initial
notice.
b. If the subsequent response is in the same night as the first
response, if possible the reporting party should be identified
and listed in the Incident Report.
c. Ensure the original notice is still posted. If not, write
“Reposting” in bold letters to the right of the Officer Signature
block on the Notice. Confer with the owner, resident, event
organizer, and/or other responsible person(s) to determine why
the notice was removed. Determine a suitable location for the
new form which will be visible and well protected. Inform the
owner, resident, event organizer, and/or other responsible
person(s) that the need for reposting subjects them to a $100
fine. The officer should issue an Administrative Citation to at
least one or all Responsible person(s) on scene for this
violation. Inform them that the removal or defacement of the
new form during the remainder of the initial 365 day period
will result in an additional $100 fine.
d. The officer should issue an Administrative Citation to at least
one or all Responsible person(s) on scene for the subsequent
response (separate from the reposting fine but on the same
citation). *NOTE: By issuing on scene the Officer will not
have to complete the Admin Cites later nor would subsequent
party response letters have to be generated and mailed when the
officer returns to the station.*
e. The officer will complete a supplement to the initial Incident
report using the and include a narrative describing the
interaction between officers and the responsible party/guests
and any unlawful conduct; such as excessive noise or traffic,
obstruction of public streets by crowds or vehicles, public
drunkenness, the service of alcohol to minors, fights,
disturbances of the peace and litter, etc.
f. If the officer didn’t issue an Administrative Citation on scene,
the officer will fill out Administrative Citations to all
responsible persons when completing the Incident report.
g. If the subsequent party response has been 14 days or longer
from the mailing of the first response the officer will fill out an
Administrative Citation to the property owner.
h. Place the yellow and the pink copy of the Party Notice and all
Admin Cites in the Report Review Tray.
2. Dispatch Responsibilities
a. If the subsequent response is in the same night as the first
response, if possible the reporting party should be identified
and listed as the reporting party. Additional reporting
parties/witnesses for the same party should also be listed in the
remarks.
3. Supervisor Responsibilities
a. Review the Party Notice form, citations and approve the
Incident report.
4. Records Responsibilities
a. Records will complete the subsequent party response letter for
all Administrative Citations not issued on scene, and mail, the
citation and letter to the person(s) identified on the citations. A
copy of the penalty notice will be mailed to the property
owner(s) of record. If the subsequent response was within 14
days of the mailing of the initial party response notice a
notation will be included that no fee will be assessed against
the owner. If the response was after 14 days from the mailing
of the first response letter then the property owner will receive
a letter and the citation.
b. If the Party Notice indicates “Reposting” and the
Administrative Citation was not issued on scene, complete the
Reposting Violation Letter and mail to the primary responsible
person(s) identified in the original notice along with the
citation.
c. Records will update the Administrative Cite Issued spreadsheet
for anyone who was cited.
C. Follow-up
1. Officer Responsibilities
a. Officers, at their discretion, may inspect prior locations to
ensure notices are still posted. This will be considered a COP
check and logged as such through MDC or Dispatch.
b. Officers will respond when dispatched to residences that Police
Services Aides (PSA’s) have determined need to be reposted
and the responsible party is present. Officers will repost the
premises, writing “Reposting” in bold letters to the right of the
Officer Signature block on the Notice. Confer with the resident
to determine why the notice was removed. Determine a suitable
location for the new form which will be visible and well
protected. Inform the resident the need for reposting subjects
them to a $100 fine, and issue them an Administrative Citation.
c. Complete a supplemental Incident report in and turn in the
copies of the Party Notice and Administrative Citation to the
report writing tray.
d. Officers, when assigned follow up by a Supervisor, on a
reposting notice where the responsible person(s) wasn’t home
will write an Administrative Citation based on the PSA’s
witness statement form(s).
2. PSA Responsibilities
a. PSA’s will be assigned to check postings of Party Notices.
Conduct an inspection of the premises at the 3-4 week mark,
and again at the 6-7 week mark to ensure posting is still
present.
b. If the inspection reveals the posting has been removed, the PSA
will attempt to make contact with a responsible party. If contact
is made the PSA will request an on duty officer to respond to
the scene.
c. If the PSA doesn’t make contact with a responsible person or
an on duty officer isn’t available, they will repost the premises,
writing “Reposting” in bold letters to the right of the Officer
Signature block on the Notice. Determine a suitable location
for the new form to be posted which will be visible and well
protected. PSA’s will complete a witness statement form to
document their actions and findings on scene.
d. Turn in the yellow and pink copy of the party notice and
witness statement form to the report writing tray and update the
Loud Party Cases spreadsheet.
3. Supervisor Responsibilities
a. Supervisors will check the report writing tray for any Reposting
Party Notices and witness statement forms by PSA’s. If there is
a reposting, the Supervisor will assign an officer to complete the
Administrative Citation.
b. They will review and attach notice forms, citations and witness
statement form(s).
4. Records Responsibilities
a. Scan and attach the witness statement form(s) to the original
Incident report.
b. If the Party Notice indicates “Reposting” and the
Administrative Citation was not issued on scene, complete the
Reposting Violation Letter and mail to the primary responsible
person(s) identified in the original notice along with the
citation.
c. Records will update the Administrative Cite Issued spreadsheet
for anyone who was cited.
d. Maintain a copy of all supporting documentation which
resulted in administrative citations to provide to Finance for
collections proceedings in the event of non-payment.
Revised: January 19, 2021