Amplified Sound Ban to Run for 3 Hours on Halloween

The ban on amplified sound along the Essex Street pedestrian mall will be extended to the afternoon of Halloween, Salem Police Chief Paul Tucker has announced.

The ban had been in place during weekends in October, from 2-6 p.m., with the possibility that it would be extended to Halloween, which is on Friday. The official hours of the Halloween ban were announced on Wednesday.

Tucker said that “in the interest of public safety,” no amplified sound will be allowed on Essex Street from Barton Square to Hawthorne Boulevard and 25 feet in all directions on Halloween, Friday, Oct. 31 between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Tucker was given the power to set the ban dates and hours by the Salem City Council in an order passed on Oct. 9. The ban was enacted “based on a review of incidents from last October,” according to police.

Last week, Tucker told the Salem News that the ban was going “really well,” and that it had decreased the number of noise complaints compared to past years. Tucker said in past years the department would get dozens of noise complaints and get overwhelmed.

On Halloween, Tucker may reduce, extend, or otherwise alter the hours “as circumstances warrant,” according to an announcement from police.

The restriction applies to all forms of amplification, including sound systems, boom boxes, microphones, bullhorns and amplifiers.