Towns restricts broadcast of taps over loudspeaker

GLEN ROCK, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania town councilman who broadcasts taps at his home through loudspeakers every night must limit the activity.

The Glen Rock Borough Council voted Wednesday to restrict Councilman Joshua Corney's broadcast of the song to Sunday nights and to certain flag holidays like the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Patriot's Day, The York Dispatch reported.

Corney didn't attend the meeting because he was recovering from knee surgery.

Several people who live near Corney complained that the nightly broadcasts violate the borough's noise ordinance and create a disturbance, according to Councilwoman Victoria Ribeiro. One of Corney's neighbor's believes the nightly broadcasts are aggravating the symptoms of his Parkinson's disease and dementia, Ribeiro said.

The Navy lieutenant commander who served in Iraq and Afghanistan said he plays the recording of the bugle call for "lights out" to honor those in the armed forces. He said he's willing to work the situation out.

"I am willing to compromise, I am willing to work it out, but I can only do it within reason," Corney said. "And I'm not going to do it at the sacrifice of my constitutional rights."

The taps play automatically around 8 p.m., and Corney said he has a home security concern.

"You're kind of sending a signal out there — 'Hey, I'm not home because I'm not playing it,'" he said.

Corney may stop the ritual altogether.