Maryville police to crack down on hotels and launch two-officer traffic unit

Police and council leaders said Tuesday they will begin stricter enforcement against hotels and group homes that generate excessive police calls, using a town ordinance that limits acceptable numbers of service calls.
Police Chief Noussus told the council the ordinance is now being used to identify and act on repeat problem properties. "Some of these hotels have generated less than five or six calls for the year, while others have generated over a 100," he said, and the town is targeting the worst offenders.
Chief Noussus said violators will receive increased attention and that properties will be given three calls per quarter before tickets or further enforcement are issued. He also said officers will expand enforcement beyond hotels to group homes and some rehabilitation centers if they are repeatedly unable to maintain order.
The department also announced a two-person traffic unit will go live Sept. 15 to focus on traffic enforcement and accident response. The chief said the unit will include one male and one female officer and will target known problem areas.
Separately, the police department announced a free women's self-defense class scheduled for Oct. 8 at the Dean and Barbara White Community Center from 5 to 8 p.m.
Council and staff framed the hotel enforcement as implementation of an existing ordinance to reduce burden on emergency responders; council members and the chief did not present a list of specific hotels to be ticketed during the meeting.