Can I call the police on my neighbors for letting their 4 year old scream his head off outside for hours?

Question

My white trash neighbors have a kid that yells and screams all day and I have missed out on some VERY valuable naps (I have a baby and I am a single mother, so sometimes I get hardly ANY sleep). I went over there today and asked in the most polite way I knew how if they could consider asking him not to yell so loud. Both the husband and wife came out in their dirty clothing and said they'd never ask me something like that and that he's only 4, and what are they supposed to do, etc. Then after I went inside, the woman came outside and yelled loudly at her husband that "It's not our problem! It's HERS!!!" I need sleep and I can't have their kid's incessent screaming keep me from it anymore. What can I do?

Answer 1

Call the police and child protective services as soon as possible. Particularly since it seems as though they are not so much "letting" the kid out as forcing the him out. He's probably screaming to get back in.

Answer 2

Yes, you can call the cops. It is a noise violation and if it continues for hours then someone should investigate it (either the cops or DCF). Just like you can't have a dog barking for hours or a radio playing loudly for hours, you can't sit outside and scream for hours.

And BTW, it is NOT your problem it is theirs. They are obviously raising a total brat and need to start exercising some parenting skills.

Next time it happens I would go over and politely tell them that the noise has gone on for quite a while (try timing it) and you would appreciate it if they would control their child. Four years old is old enough to know how to shut up. Then let them know that if they cannot control their child you will be forced to call the police and report them.

Answer 3

Record the noise from inside your house and go outside and record it to see actually how loud it is. I would not think that there is much you can do about it if he is screaming in the day time because you have noise problems where ever you are: construction, traffic, ambulances, etc. If he is doing this early in the morning or really late at night then you might have a case so when recording state the time because you will need evidence and once you call the cops be aware that they will know who called and they will make things worse for you.

Answer 4

You have some really horrible neighbors like I do. One neighbor is a child predator, another a demonic little boy, one blasts his music loudly when he's mad at us, and the others smoke so badly that I had to change rooms because their smoke was seeping through my walls. If it is an apartment, go to the people that run the place. If not, I'm sure you can go to the police and maybe they can use that disturbance of peace law. In fact, keep a record and tape record all of the times that 4 year old is screaming. You don't deserve such terrible people in your neighborhood.
-Kiarra S.

Answer 5

I SO agree with you on the valuable naps. I had a neighbor that somehow (I swear) knew when I went to my room, put my eye patch on to lay down). I would fall asleep and wake up to her screaming outside for her dog! A scream I will not soon forget! GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIzMMMMMMMMMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! GIZMO!~

I opened my window one day half asleep and said "can you PLUHLEASE quit that screaming!?" She ignored me. So the nest time she was out there screaming I called the cops (There could have been something wrong you never know) and I told them of this mad woman outside screaming and I didn't know what's going on? They asked what kind of scream and I said "S scream of fear." Not completely a lie because she did sound like she afraid of not finding her dog. After they came out she NEVER screamed again and I was able to take my "much needed nap!" YAY! The Squeaky Wheel Always Get's greased!

Answer 6

Is the boy healthy? Is he yelling just because he's playing around or is he yelling because he's in pain? If he's unkempt, you should probably call cps. If he's just yelling for whatever reason, I would probably have to by some ear plugs. I don't think the cops will take calls like this seriously. You might want to call and report once-but other than that, I doubt there's much else they will do. Good luck.

Answer 7

I think you might be able to have your neighbors cited for disturbing the peace. Depends on how strict the police in your area are. Flat out ignoring the child could be classified as neglect.

Answer 8

call the police. tell them the neighbors are disturbing the peace. if that doesn't work then call the dept of human services and trell them that these people do not take care of thier child. good luck.
its not a very good example to set for your kids when you scream at your neighbors like those people did.

Answer 9

It sounds like you have great neighbors. Not! The only way you can involve the police is if you think they are neglecting the child and he is in danger of harm. If they are not and he isnt, then you can get some earplugs. Sorry. Sweet dreams.

Answer 10

Depending on where you live, complaining about noise would be perfectly rational. I would suggest looking up your city's noise violation codes and proceeding from there. Also, perhaps try using honey rather than vinegar; invite your neighbors over, or try to do something nice for them. You may find that not only are they more similar to you than you might think, but they may also prove to be much easier to deal with if you find some common ground. Good luck!