Current Events > It's now a crime to annoy a cop in my county

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2019/12/02/anti-annoyance-law-monroe-county-cheryl-dinolfo-rpd/2587016001/

Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo signed an "anti-annoyance" bill into law hours after protesters took to the streets Monday in opposition to the measure.

More than three dozen speakers blasted the proposal during a hearing before the Monroe County Legislature earlier in the afternoon.

County spokesman Jesse Sleezer confirmed that Dinolfo signed the bill.

The law is called "Prohibited harassment of a police officer, peace officer, or first responder in Monroe County." It codifies the anti-harassment statute, which includes a sentence of up to a year in jail and up to a $5,000 fine.

None of the Republican lawmakers who voted for the bill attended the hearing, but two Democratic legislators rose to voice their opposition, as did a number of local elected officials.

Many of them, including Ernest Flagler-Mitchell, said the measure would undo many of the gains that have been made in the tense relationship between police and members of the community.

"This bill is embarrassing," he said. "It's offensive to everybody in this room and in this community."
...
The Legislature passed the bill criminalizing the "annoyance" or harassment of police and emergency responders on Nov. 12. The bill passed on a party-line vote supported by Republicans and opposed by Democrats.

In a letter to Dinolfo and other elected leaders, a cadre of local lawyers wrote that the measure was unconstitutionally vague, overly broad in its potential to prohibit certain conduct, and violates the First Amendment. Not only would an arrest not hold up, they wrote, but the person could sue for damages.
...
The legislation would criminalize behavior that intends to annoy, alarm or threaten the personal safety of a police officer, peace officer or first responder who is performing official duties.

The person engaging in this behavior must know, or reasonably should know, that the person being bothered is a police officer, peace officer or first responder.

The term peace officer, under state law, includes sheriffs and their deputies and certain state investigators. First responders are not defined in the law, though the category could include professional and volunteer firefighters and emergency medical workers.

The executive who signed this into law is leaving office in January, having been voted out last month.
---

This will surely not be abused to arrest anyone cops want to arrest.

---

Jesus...
---

Kiss ass or get shot. That's the message republicans are sending.

Fuck the police
---

Let me see your id.

Am I under arrest?

You are NOW son for annoying me.

anything particular that sparked this?
---

That's.

An Odd Way.

To Spell.

Fascism.

---

Guy sits at a table minding his own business.

Cop walks up to him and puts him in cuffs.

"What did I do wrong?

"Your face annoys me"

BuckVanHammer posted...

anything particular that sparked this?

I would guess the root is that cops don't like people filming them and this law would allow them to claim people filming them are annoying them and arrest them.

---

Cops get way too many concessions. They need to have a lot of them taken away.
---

Sounds fair. Respect police officers and you wont get arrested.
---

Objectively bad and if 100% of people that support the law were to die suddenly, the world would become a slightly better place.
---

SomeLikeItHoth posted...

Sounds fair. Respect police officers and you wont get arrested.

forced respect isnt respect...
---

Tmaster148 posted...

This will surely not be abused to arrest anyone cops want to arrest.

---

BuckVanHammer posted...

SomeLikeItHoth posted...

Sounds fair. Respect police officers and you wont get arrested.

forced respect isnt respect...

you're responding to a known troll account
---

Cops have no obligation to protect or serve but they have an exclusive legal right to not be annoyed.

Makes fucking sense

---

Can you citizens arrest a cop for annoying you
---

*wave and smiles at cop*, ""he's clearly being sarcastic, that's annoying. arrest him"

---

Smashingpmkns posted...

Can you citizens arrest a cop for annoying you

Can a cop arrest an annoying cop?

---