Residents help police resolve neighborhood disputes
Nancy Levy sent this piece that seems to suggest a cozy relationship is growing between Phoenix area HOAs and the municipal government. The article starts by talking about "residents" who "try to prevent or resolve neighborhood disputes on their own." This makes it seem like some miraculous outpouring of social capital. Maybe--I have no idea. But when you read further, it seems as though HOAs are somehow involved. We all know that HOAs enforce document provisions governing behavior that could also be called in to the police as a public nuisance (noise, parking, etc.) The question that interests me is to what extent people like Officer Barnhart are working with or through HOAs to handle this sort of low-level complaint.

...according to Phoenix police Officer Robert "Barney" Barnhart, the Community Action Program coordinator, most Ahwatukee Foothills residents try to prevent or resolve neighborhood disputes on their own. Party planners often head off complaints by letting neighbors know there will be a band, cars parked up and down the street and when a party is expected to end. They may go door-to-door as a personal touch or leave a note of explanation with their phone number and address in case there is a problem..
..Many homeowners associations can help with ongoing problems. Some Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&Rs) contain a nuisance clause covering loud parties and barking dogs as well as rules about roaming pets, property infringement and parking situations. An HOA can be the go-between when neighbors want to avoid a confrontation, said Robert Blakesley, general manager for the Ahwatukee Board of Management, which oversees 5,100 homes in 54 subdivisions. "HOAs are not the ultimate enforcement, but we try to do what we can to help the person," Blakesley said. "We will send a letter, then call the complainant back and see how it's going, and sometimes we send a second letter."