Police officers working the beat in Tampa's popular Ybor City entertainment district are concerned about the effect that loud music wafting out of the district's numerous bars may have on their hearing. From Thursday through Saturday nights, Tampa's finest patrol the hotspot keeping the peace. In addition, many officers earn additional income on their off-duty hours by helping with crowd control in private bars and restaurants.

One police officer describes the party environment as a "war zone." The noise not only poses a threat to officers' auditory health, but it may also hinder response to emergency calls. Many officers say that hearing their police radios has become difficult.

In 1999 the City of Tampa passed a noise ordinance requiring bar owners and others in Ybor to keep their noise levels below 85 decibels. 85 decibels is comparable to operating an electric handsaw. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), exposure to 90 or more decibels for over 8 hours may cause permanent hearing loss.

The debate centers on the location that the decibel level is measured from. The city ordinance requires the measurement to be taken from the center of the street. Police officers and others familiar with the controversy claim that the measurement should come from the curb of the sidewalk, as that is where most people, including the officers, are exposed. Officers claim that the noise levels occurring on the sidewalks are 5 to 9 decibels higher than those found at the centerline. If accurate, such curbside measurements would exceed OSHA's recommended threshold.