Are There Legal Remedies to Sue City For Failing to Enforce Laws?

[Steve739]

I am a homeowner and live in Wisconsin. I pay very high taxes for services, some of which are for police services. The police are extremely short staffed, and very slow to respond to calls, taking hours in many cases. I complain about noise from loud car stereo's passing my home at all hours of the night, until after 1am, cars speeding 15mph and more over the limit, and vandalism to city property. The city and police respond by saying they need their resources in other parts of the city, my complaints are not a high priority. I've been trying to get my issues resolved for over 9 months, and they are still making excusses, but not resolving the problems. I have talked with the mayor, the police and the alderman to no avail. There are laws on the books that are not being enforced. Noise, speeding and vandalism are all crimes that go unpunnished, due to no police. Also, problems with people running stop lights is becomming a problem too. Are there any legal remedies I can take, or is my only real option packing my bags and moving? Thank you.

 

[HomeGuru]

I am a homeowner and live in Wisconsin. I pay very high taxes for services, some of which are for police services. The police are extremely short staffed, and very slow to respond to calls, taking hours in many cases. I complain about noise from loud car stereo's passing my home at all hours of the night, until after 1am, cars speeding 15mph and more over the limit, and vandalism to city property. The city and police respond by saying they need their resources in other parts of the city, my complaints are not a high priority. I've been trying to get my issues resolved for over 9 months, and they are still making excusses, but not resolving the problems. I have talked with the mayor, the police and the alderman to no avail. There are laws on the books that are not being enforced. Noise, speeding and vandalism are all crimes that go unpunnished, due to no police. Also, problems with people running stop lights is becomming a problem too. Are there any legal remedies I can take, or is my only real option packing my bags and moving? Thank you.

**A: you do have legal remedies but let's be realistic, you have a better chance at moving.

 

[Steve739]

Thank you for answering. I live only minutes from where I work, and I just moved here 2 years ago. Moving is not something I really want to do. I was hoping to explore other options first. If there is no hope to get these problems resolved either diplomatically or in the courts, then there's no other choice but to move. Diplomacy is failing which brought me to this web site and to explore legal options. Hind sight is 20/20. Thanks again for your thoughts on this.

Steve

 

[stephenk]

The guru is right. How much are you willing to spend to file some type of class action suit against the city, county, state and the local police department? How much time do you want to spend on this cause?

Dont know what city you live in, but if there is a crime (robbery, fight, rape, etc.) at one part of the city and you call complaining of a car speeding down the street, guess where the police are going to go?

Why dont you get your neighbors together to petition the city for speed bumps on your street or a traffic light/stop sign? Set up a neighborhood watch group.

 

[Steve739]

Thank you for answering my question. You offer a great idea here and I am going to do this. I'm looking to work with my neighborhood association on this. A lot of people don't want to get involved with petitions or are apathetic. But doing this will give me an idea of how many residents are willing to fight. I don't know how much good it will do, but I will try this. Thanks for a good idea!

I have no idea how much a class action law suit would cost or how long something like this can go on. I believe the law suit would get their attention, and the news media's attention too, and that alone might be enough to get something done. Even if the suit went the distance, I should have a good chance of winning and collecting costs, yes? I can easily prove the problems exist with video's and pictures. You make some good points. All I want is to live in peace free from vandals, loud music that wakes me at 1am and speeders who quickly come up to my bumper as I pull out of my driveway. I see some drivers run stop signs and stop lights, and never see a patrol car despite my pleas. It's not always this bad, but it happens enough times for me to write about it to you here, the mayor and police. Thanks again!