Ad-Hoc Committee: Will County Sheriff’s Office to Acquire Decibel Meters for Noise Complaints

Will County Board Ad-Hoc Ordinance Review Committee Meeting | March 10, 2026

Article Summary: The Will County Sheriff’s Office plans to purchase a fleet of certified decibel meters to accurately enforce county noise ordinances. Undersheriff Dan Jungles presented the request to the Ad-Hoc Ordinance Review Committee, estimating a total cost of $10,000 to equip the county’s patrol zones.

Sheriff’s Decibel Meters Key Points:

• The Sheriff’s Office requested certified decibel meters to respond to frequent noise complaints from loud parties and industrial shops.

• Certified meters capable of being calibrated for court evidence cost between $450 and $650 each.

• The department estimates it will need roughly 20 meters to cover its 10 patrol zones.

• Committee members urged the department to purchase a few meters immediately ahead of the busy summer months.

The Will County Sheriff’s Office will soon be equipped with certified decibel meters to crack down on noise ordinance violations, following a supportive review by the Will County Board Ad-Hoc Ordinance Review Committee on Tuesday, March 10, 2026.

Undersheriff Dan Jungles appeared before the committee to request funding for the devices, noting that while the county has noise ordinances on the books, deputies currently lack the proper technology to enforce them in the field.

“We used to have decibel meters at the Sheriff’s Office… [but] the technology we had previously was very antiquated,” Jungles explained. He noted that the old meters are currently sitting in the evidence division, and without reliable field equipment, deputies are left with little recourse when responding to complaints about loud late-night parties or noisy industrial machine shops in the rural northern parts of the county.

Jungles stressed that the department cannot simply use smartphone applications to measure sound levels because the readings would not hold up in ordinance violation hearings.

“It’s basically a scientific piece of equipment, right? So you want to make sure that it’s calibrated… at both the beginning before you do the recordings and after you do the recordings,” Jungles told the committee. “If it’s just somebody using their cell phone, they don’t know how accurate that is. It could be way off.”

According to Jungles, certified decibel meters that meet the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) requirements cost between $450 and $650 each. To ensure longevity and protection in the field, he recommended purchasing packages that include hard protective cases and calibration tools.

The Sheriff’s Office divides its Will County jurisdiction into 10 distinct zones, including Joliet, Lockport Township, Homer Glen, and the Lincoln-Way area. Jungles estimated that assigning two meters per zone would provide plenty of coverage, resulting in a total requested inventory of 20 meters at an estimated cost of $10,000.

Committee members were overwhelmingly supportive of the request, viewing it as a relatively inexpensive way to improve constituent services.

“We have this in our ordinances. We’ve had complaints that have come to us, but if we don’t have the proper tools, then why?” asked Board Member Mica Freeman. “We need to be able to follow through.”

Board Member Jim Richmond noted that noise complaints typically surge during the warmer spring and summer months, urging Jungles to utilize any existing wiggle room in the current budget to acquire a few meters immediately for testing, rather than waiting for the next fiscal year’s budget cycle. Jungles confirmed that the cost falls under the threshold requiring special procurement processes, allowing the department to begin purchasing the devices right away.