Police Respond to a Quinceañera Noise Complaint but End Up Celebrating With the Family

Members of the Greensboro police force got more than they bargained for while investigating a noise complaint in the area. They tracked the source of the noise to a quinceañera in the North Carolina city. Instead of asking that the family keep the noise to a minimum, they decided to stay at the family’s request to enjoy some food and hang out with the birthday girl.

A post on the official Greensboro Police Department Facebook page reveals that three officers — identified as Matthews, King, and Johnson — decided to leave the family be after realizing that it was a special celebration. The officers handed out GPD stickers to the kids in attendance and hung around to take a picture with the birthday girl.

Commenters were quick to praise the officers for making the right decision in spite of their duty to investigate the source of the complaint. “Perspective is everything,” wrote one commenter. “Thanks for acknowledging her special day. Hopefully we all can remember ‘kindness’ in our daily interactions while being mindful of others. Thanks for helping build community.”

Adriana Mendez, the older sister of the young woman, identified through Facebook as Kim, celebrating her fifteenth birthday, wrote a very sweet comment to the officers, which reads, “Thank you all so much Greensboro Police Department you guys were great and my baby sister is so happy that you all stayed and helped celebrate her birthday!!”

She continued: “You all were very understanding and we appreciated you all accepting our culture and also sitting to eat! As a child with special needs and someone who struggles to have friends it really meant the world that you all stopped by even if initially it was a noise complaint. We appreciate you all and all the work you do on the daily!!”

All the commenters on the initial Facebook post agree that the actions taken by these three officers represent the pinnacle of community policing, whereby officers participate in the community instead of just lording over it. The officers have been celebrated for their considered approach to this particular complaint, understanding that Kim’s big day was, ultimately, more important than a standard noise complaint.