On Aug. 31, while her roommates hosted a party in the backyard of their O Street townhouse, Jenna Kelly (COL ’10) was charged with a 61D noise citation. A $35 fine and an arrest on Kelly’s record came with it.
Incidents like this one have become more common this year, according to university officials. It was announced this week that there has been a marked increase in noise citations issued to students by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Six 61D citations have been issued to students in university-owned townhouses so far this academic year, according to an e-mail sent to townhouse residents from the Office of Residence Life. No citations were issued in the last academic year.
The 61D citation is issued for noise violations, which D.C. law defines as excessive noise that disturbs others. The citation carries a minimum $50 fine issued for a noise violation and is recorded as an arrest. Individuals with multiple offenses can be fined up to $300 for multiple offenses. Although not considered a criminal offense, the citations are recorded on criminal records and appear during routine background checks.
PD noise violations have left students like Kelly with inconvenient blemishes on their records, though Kelly is hopeful that her court appearance to contest the citation will yield a positive result. She was upset that she was cited with the violation when she had only been at the house for 20 minutes before the Metropolitan Police Department arrived, and that the fine was accompanied by an arrest on her criminal record.
“I’m hoping that the hearing process is successful for a lot of people getting the citation,” Kelly said.
According to Kelly, there were additional 61D citations issued to students off campus over Homecoming weekend.
In response to the increase in citations, ResLife sent e-mails to residents of campus-owned townhouses asking them to be careful – especially throughout Homecoming – and warning those students of the consequences of the 61D citation.
The university had previously warned students regarding 61D citations in January.
“The Metropolitan Police Department has informed the university that MPD officers are again authorized – and intend – to issue 61D citations for excessive noise,” an e-mail sent to students in January stated. “Anyone who receives a 61D citation will be required to pay a fine, but most importantly, will have an arrest record. This record will appear on employer background checks.”
A similar e-mail was sent to on-campus residents, warning them of increased patrols and harsher consequences for any misdemeanor over Homecoming weekend.
“You should be made aware that the Metropolitan Police Department will be stepping up patrols throughout the neighborhood, particularly in the evening, and will be looking for (and acting on) issues surrounding open containers, noise, large parties and underage drinking,” Billy Colona, hall director of Copley Hall, said in an e-mail to Copley residents on Sept. 24.
“Throughout the weekend, please be cognizant of your behavior and your level of noise (both on campus and off campus),” Colona said.
Noise violations have also been a problem in off-campus townhouses.
“Over the last year, [the Division of] Student Affairs, Off-Campus Student Life and [the Office of] University Safety have all taken additional steps to educate students about the legal implications of hosting noisy parties or making excessive noise in the streets under the District of Columbia noise ordinance,” said Anne Koester, director of [Off-Campus Student Life](https://offcampus.georgetown.edu/).
This year, the university created the Student Neighborhood Assistance Program. According to the OCSL website, SNAP receives complaints about noise from neighbors and responds to the problem at the reported location. The complaint is reported to OCSL and punishments for the students involved are then determined by OCSL following the incident.
“The university has also employed the Student Neighborhood Assistance Program . to proactively monitor and moderate potential student-related issues in the neighborhood before they become problems or violations of the noise ordinance,” Koester said.
PD could not be reached for comment.
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