District's Disorderly Conduct Statutes Need Major Surgery

Since the Police Complaints Board published its 2003 study showing the police department's excessive use of the disorderly conduct statutes, the ACLU has championed their wholesale revision.  All too often, officers use them to punish "contempt of cop."  When the Council was unable to agree on a bill that incorporated our proposals, Phil Mendelson, Chairperson of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, asked the Council for Court Excellence to convene a task force to craft a proposal.  Ten months later, the task force on which we served produced its recommendations.  While there still are problems such as criminalizing urinating in public (it makes no sense to criminally charge homeless people who lack public toilets), we largely support the CCE proposals.  In a letter to Chairman Gray and his colleagues, we urge the adoption of Bill 18-425 with two amendments.  Read our November 22nd letter.