OK.  I should give more back story since I see the folks are getting hostile against me.  Also keep in mind it is a week day and at no point was the time of day mentioned as a factor in the conversation.

I went outside shortly after 7:30.  I cleaned up some debris, trimmed my tree, cleaned up after my dog out back, put my trash can on the curb for the trash man, and then turned on my leaf blower for 5-10 minutes (second time I've ever used my leaf blower).  The interaction with the police officer was after 8:30 and then I immediately wanted to document somewhere what I had just heard (hence the hot headed thread).  I also live in the desert.  It is bright outside by 5am and by 10am it is too hot to be working outside (according to the news, I am not scared to be outside).  That is why the noise ordinance is so early here.  Hearing leaf blowers at 7am is not uncommon in my area, nor is it illegal.  While I don't especially like it, houses here are new and built with so much insulation you can barely hear it inside anyway.  The point of the post wasn't about my unhappy yard cleaning experience, it was that a cop told me to my face that freedom doesn't exist anymore and threatened me with jail if I use a leaf blower (within 5 minutes of the cop leaving, one of my neighbors started blowing off his property).  The cop urged me to install cameras with audio all around my property and to report any of my neighbors for suspicious behavior.  It was a conversation I wish I wasn't a part of.  My comment of, "I'm more of the freedom and privacy type" is what brought out his response.

Pretty crazy morning for just wanting to do a little yard work.