Advice to get police station to turn a light off?

[JG777]

Whatever you do, don't go in all guns ablazing.....

[billyharris72]

22 hours ago, Swoop1 said:

Visit the station and introduce yourself

This, definitely. It's worth asking, and you have literally zero basis for a complaint against them if you have not brought the issue to their attention. They may be swayed by your arguments if you can persuade them that the light is not useful and there is no real downside to turning it off. Keep it personal, affable and polite and you might be able to sort this out together.

I would personal be reluctant to escalate a complaint beyond that. You could try talking with the council, but don't get drawn into a conflict. The police (like any formal institution really) normally do not respond well to being told what they need to be doing by the people they are policing. Arguing with them in an antagonistic way, unless you are supported by an abolutely cast iron basis in law, is likely to be fruitless and bring about an obstructive response.

I'd give it a go though. If you don't ask you won't get.

Billy.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Why such a big "insecurity" light on a police station?. Are they afraid of being broken into?. The local police station in the town where i live is hardly ever manned. If you have an emergency, there is a sign on the door giving you a very long phone number to ring. Good thing that crime in my town is extremely low and a friend of mine who lives 2 doors away is a cop.

 

 

[pevsfreedom]

11 hours ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

Why such a big "insecurity" light on a police station?. Are they afraid of being broken into?. The local police station in the town where i live is hardly ever manned. If you have an emergency, there is a sign on the door giving you a very long phone number to ring. Good thing that crime in my town is extremely low and a friend of mine who lives 2 doors away is a cop.

 

 

 

Crime here is higher than average, but they are only lighting up the back of their building. I went in today and talked to two civilians and the one in charge said he'll have the sergeant look into it tonight and I said well perhaps you could mention to him to just change the timer to midnight and I'll be happy (as they come on around dusk). I'll follow up Monday if no difference and if they're off tonight I'll be stoked! 

I also took pictures of the light and of my house and pointed out in a kind of over exaggerated manner that it's "blinding us" at night and a huge disturbance, and we also have a telescope. 

[pevsfreedom]

13 hours ago, Kanori24 said:

I don't have any advice other than the usual 'attempt to nicely ask them to turn it off on certain nights' but I can relate. My neighbors have a BRIGHT floodlight that completely ruins my chances of viewing the western sky when they leave it on. Heck, one night they started their car to warm it up.... WITH THE HIGH BEAMS ON JUST FOR IDLING AND POINTED RIGHT AT ME AND MY SCOPE. This level negligence most certainly should be illegal, and we most certainly reserve the right to speak of the inconvenience (and retinal pain) it causes us.

I'm just trying to imagine how anyone can think like that. I can't comprehend being so inconsiderate. "Started the car to warm up. I'll turn on the high beams even though I'm not gonna drive for another 5 minutes. Oh look there's that girl with her telescope trying to shield herself from my high-intensity halogen high beams. She's picking it up and moving. What's wrong with her?"

They were probably just being good neighbors and trying to give you some light to help carry the unidentified object to your house. /sarcasm. Have you tried talking to them? 

[Ben the Ignorant]

Common courtesy says they have no right to disturb people, period. If you ask someone to stop a disturbance, they should stop just because; even more so if their job is to repress disturbances. If they are sincere in their job they will quit annoying you with their floodlight. Saving money and energy, plus not upsetting nighttime animals are motives anyone should respond well to in the current ecology awareness.

Bringing out the sorry wiping out of a natural "landscape" should work, too. Imagine someone was dumping trash on mountains and forests to the point three quarters of the landscape is obliterated, there would be a huge uproar about it; but somehow covering the natural sky with junk light is not recognized as serious pollution everywhere, nowadays. Hope this analogy might help persuade them.

[pevsfreedom]

Yeah the light remained on last night. Somehow I feel my complaint never reached the "sergeant" who was gonna work on it, but I could be wrong. I'll go in tomorrow if it's on again tonight and see how I can talk to who makes the decision instead of just talk to someone who was gonna pass my message along. 

[JOC]

Just to play devil's advocate, don't forget that, if it is a high crime area, other residents might actually encourage the presence of the lights in an effort to improve what they perceive is a more secure situation with more lights on (whether that actually is the case or not). 

[pevsfreedom]

Well in this case there are no other residents. Just two houses, the other one is empty. Not another house for 1/2 a mile. 

[JOC]

12 minutes ago, pevsfreedom said:

Well in this case there are no other residents. Just two houses, the other one is empty. Not another house for 1/2 a mile.

Then I think you have a better case to make a reasonable request.