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Service Alternatives to Some Non-emergency Calls

In an effort to address limited staffing resources, the Salem Police Departmentsalem-police_patrol-vehicle-and-motorcycle made the difficult decision to adjust our in-person response to a few types of low-level, non-emergency calls for service. These include noise (barking dogs, loud or amplified sound), civil issues, encampments on public property, delayed traffic collision reports.

Any calls concerning these four categories that also involve other potential criminal activity will still receive an in-person officer response in accordance with regular dispatch prioritization.

These service alternatives do not change our response to emergency calls.

Read further to determine the available alternatives to these non-emergency situations.

Barking dogs and other loud noise in your neighborhood

Calls related to noise from barking dogs or amplified sound, such as music from a party or audio from a neighbor’s television will no longer be addressed in-person by a police officer. Instead, telephone follow up will be done by a Salem Police representative to confirm the address of the noise complaint and garner more details about the noise issue, such as type and duration, to document the complaint.

The documentation will help us determine any additional level of follow-up that needs to occur, especially as it pertains to locations with repeated noise complaints.

What else can a neighbor do?

Mediation

Consider speaking with your neighbor and sharing the impact the sound is having to you, such as the volume, the late hour, or the frequency. Conversations can be neighborly and easy to do, but if you prefer some guided assistance, contact one of the local mediation services. Trained mediators can help facilitate a constructive conversation over many types of neighborhood disputes.

Marion County – Neighbor-to-Neighbor Mediation Services, 503-588-0651

Polk County – Community Mediation Services of Polk County, 503-623-3111

Repeated noise issues

For those properties which have repeated complaints, additional follow-up may be conducted. A Salem Police representative will review instances of multiple noise complaints and determine any additional level of follow-up that needs to occur.

Be a Good Neighborsalem-police_neighbors-talking

If you are planning a large gathering, consider the impact to your neighbors along with your other plans.

First, start by letting your neighbors know in advance. Give them the details, such as how many guests you will expect and how late the party will go. Provide them with your phone number, so that if it gets too noisy or a guest’s car is blocking the driveway, then they can easily reach out to you.

 

Civil issues

Salem Police officers do not have the authority to become involved in civil disputes and will not be dispatched to these types of calls unless there is associated criminal activity or immediate danger occurring.

If you need civil papers served, such as a restraining order or a divorce summons, please contact the sheriff’s office in your county:

  • Marion County Sheriff’s Office, 503-588-5094
  • Polk County Sheriff’s Office, 503-623-9251

 

Encampments on public property

Salem Police does not respond to homeless camping complaints on public property. Residents can submit their concerns through the City of Salem’s online system. Doing so ensures a coordinated response by several departments and social service partners to address any health and safety issues.

The City of Salem provides updates on the progress of encampment clean-ups, including the upcoming schedule of locations. Learn more about the citywide response to the overall issue of homelessness in our community.

Any reports of encampments on private property should be reported to the Salem Police non-emergency line at 503-588-6123 (option 1) as a trespass issue.

 

Traffic collisions after-the-fact

If your traffic collision occurred previously and you did not file a police report at the time, salem-police_drivers-talk-collisionplease fulfil any requirements to file a report with the Department of Motor Vehicles, including incidents in which one of the involved parties does not have insurance.

Drivers are encouraged to handle any issues related to incorrect or invalid driver license information through their insurance company, or through remedies provided by the civil court system.