"Charlotte Officer Receives 'Quiet Hero' Award"

New Orleans: Officer Kenny Jones of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department in Charlotte, North Carolina has received the "Quiet Hero" award from Noise Free America for his commitment to restoring peace and quiet to area neighborhoods. The "Quiet Hero" award is presented by Noise Free America and http://www.lowertheboom.org to individuals, agencies, and communities whose acts lead to an observable difference in a community's noise levels.

Police officials in the Baker 3 district were notified of loud, incessant, and ongoing noise from car stereos in a neighborhood near Independence High School. The car stereos were highly amplified, low frequency systems that
radiate percussive thumps over distances of up to a mile. This obnoxious
noise disrupted the normal peacefulness of hundreds of families.

Officer Ken Jones, a Noise Control Specialist, has been instrumental in addressing the area's boom car problem. He shares credit with a supportive boss, Captain Cam Selvey, and his fellow police officers in District 17.

According to one local resident, "The difference is very noticeable and very amazing. It's like I can enjoy my own music in my own house now. A few
weeks ago, I couldn't have done that, even with headphones on, because of the constant thumping. It drove the neighborhood nuts! And from what I
understand, that is exactly what the technology is intended to do--disturb the peace."

Noise Free America is a national lobby group dedicated to opposing noise pollution. Its web site is http://www.noisefree.org.