Dumbest law you've ever enforced

[Penta]

Let's face it: Some jurisdictions have some weird, strange, and occasionally stupid laws still on the books. Usually, they aren't enforced; usually.

However, sometimes they are. And sometimes the LEOs here get to enforce them.

So my question:

What's the weirdest or stupidest law you've actually found reason to (or been told to) enforce?

[retdetsgt]

When I worked vice, we were ordered to raid a charity event that involved a "Reno night". All the money was for a fund raising event. It was horrible.

We have a lot of dumb city ordinances on the books, but they are routinely ignored. Thank God for discretion.

[Safety Steve]

Public Intoxication on a guy that was sleeping in his vehicle outside the bar. He said he was too drunk to drive home and decided to sleep the night in his vehicle to avoid a DWI. The captain told me to arrest him for PI. If anything happened to him and we knew he was there, we could be held liable. I was not very proud of myself at the time but saw the captains point. We did not call a wrecker. My brother was riding with me and drove the defendant's vehicle to the jail.


Be Safe.

[BJJVad]

California Penal Code Section 490.7

(a) The Legislature finds that free newspapers provide a key
source of information to the public, in many cases providing an
important alternative to the news and ideas expressed in other local
media sources. The Legislature further finds that the unauthorized
taking of multiple copies of free newspapers, whether done to sell
them to recycling centers, to injure a business competitor, to
deprive others of the opportunity to read them, or for any other
reason, injures the rights of readers, writers, publishers, and
advertisers, and impoverishes the marketplace of ideas in California.
(b) No person shall take more than twenty-five (25) copies of the
current issue of a free or complimentary newspaper if done with the
intent to do one or more of the following:
(1) Recycle the newspapers for cash or other payment.
(2) Sell or barter the newspaper.
(3) Deprive others of the opportunity to read or enjoy the
newspaper.
(4) Harm a business competitor.
(c) This section does not apply to the owner or operator of the
newsrack in which the copies are placed, the owner or operator of the
property on which the newsrack is placed, the publisher, the
printer, the distributor, the deliverer of the newspaper, or to any
advertiser in that issue, or to any other person who has the express
permission to do so from any of these entities.
(d) Any newspaper publisher may provide express permission to take
more than twenty-five (25) copies of the current issue of a free or
complimentary newspaper by indicating on the newsrack or in the
newspaper itself, that people may take a greater number of copies if
they wish.
(e) A first violation of subdivision (b) shall be an infraction
punishable by a fine not exceeding two hundred fifty dollars ($250).
A second or subsequent violation shall be punishable as an infraction
or a misdemeanor. A misdemeanor conviction under this section is
punishable by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500),
imprisonment of up to 10 days in a county jail, or by both that fine
and imprisonment. The court may order community service in lieu of
the punishment otherwise provided for an infraction or misdemeanor in
the amount of 20 hours for an infraction, and 40 hours for a
misdemeanor. A misdemeanor conviction under this section shall not
constitute a conviction for petty theft.
(f) This section shall not be construed to repeal, modify, or
weaken any existing legal prohibitions against the taking of private
property.
(g) For purposes of this section, an issue is current if no more
than half of the period of time until the distribution of the next
issue has passed.

[greg72982]

Public Intoxication on a guy that was sleeping in his vehicle outside the bar. He said he was too drunk to drive home and decided to sleep the night in his vehicle to avoid a DWI. The captain told me to arrest him for PI. If anything happened to him and we knew he was there, we could be held liable. I was not very proud of myself at the time but saw the captains point. We did not call a wrecker. My brother was riding with me and drove the defendant's vehicle to the jail.

Be Safe.

Here we could avoid the charge by releasing them to a sober adult, which we would do even if we did charge them. At that point it's on the sober adult, not us. Around here public drunks don't go to jail. And we don't touch people's cars. Too much liability there too. Had your bro been in an accident while driving the defendant's car you could be held liable also, which I'm sure you are aware of.

Back on topic I can't think of any dumb laws off hand that I have had to enforce. I know there are some on the books but I know them because they aren't enforced lol. I probably haven't seen themsince the crimes code block in the academy.

[retdetsgt]

Portland has a city ordinance against skating, whistling or singing in a public convenience station. The fact it's called a convenience station gives an indication of how old it is. I wonder what happened to cause the city council to pass that law?

[tcop733]

Here we could avoid the charge by releasing them to a sober adult, which we would do even if we did charge them. At that point it's on the sober adult, not us. Around here public drunks don't go to jail. And we don't touch people's cars. Too much liability there too. Had your bro been in an accident while driving the defendant's car you could be held liable also, which I'm sure you are aware of.

Back on topic I can't think of any dumb laws off hand that I have had to enforce. I know there are some on the books but I know them because they aren't enforced lol. I probably haven't seen themsince the crimes code block in the academy.

When I first started we did have that discretion with the agency I was working for.
That was almost twenty years ago.
There is nothing in the Penal Code/Code of Criminal Procedure forbiding an officer from releasing an intoxicated person into a responsible adults custody and care, at least nothing that I can find.
Most of the time it's individual agency policies or common practice.

Oh, to keep the thread on topic somewhat; While working a stop sign one evening a lady ran it and turned right onto the road I was sitting. I flagged her over, approached her car, and asked for her license. She refused to give me her license and I told her she would be arrested if she did not comply. With that she jumped out of her car, yelled "ARREST ME? ARREST ME?" and ran back to my patrol unit. She then opened the rear door, jumped in, and arrested herself.
I did get the cuffs on her after a brief struggle "her bending over and screaming at the top of her lungs after I had one cuff on". Middle of a residential neighborhood, porch lights coming on and what not.
Anyway, she was charged with running the stop sign and No DL, or refusing to ID, I forget? D.A. wouldn't take the resisiting "they never do unless you have a bloody lip, black eye, or broken bone."
Her husband promptly paid her fines negating any future hope she had of fighting the charges.
True story.

[retdetsgt]

On several occasions where I was called on a drunk sleeping in their car I checked to see how drunk they were and then took their car keys, gave them a receipt and told them they could pick them up at the precinct the next morning. I then left them with the deskman when I got off shift.

I never got any backlash from it. Our DA wouldn't issue on a public intoxication when they aren't disturbing anyone. We do have a civil hold process where we can take them to a detox center, but I usually got these kinds of calls during the busiest part of my shift and didn't want to take the time.

[txinvestigator1]

When I first started we did have that discretion with the agency I was working for.
That was almost twenty years ago.
There is nothing in the Penal Code/Code of Criminal Procedure forbiding an officer from releasing an intoxicated person into a responsible adults custody and care, at least nothing that I can find.
Most of the time it's individual agency policies or common practice.

Our dept along with 2 officers were sued by the family of a drunk they released to a sober friend after the drunk died from asphyxiating on his own vomit. The friend left him alone as soon as the officers left.

Dept fought it and had to pay a huge amount to the family. Court decisions like that effect policies.

[tcop733]

Our dept along with 2 officers were sued by the family of a drunk they released to a sober friend after the drunk died from asphyxiating on his own vomit. The friend left him alone as soon as the officers left.

Dept fought it and had to pay a huge amount to the family. Court decisions like that effect policies.

Yup, I'd say so. Yes, that darn liability sure can bite ya.
Whose to say the guy wouldn't have died in the jail? One agency I worked for had no jailers, we'd just lock them up and checked on them now and then, which would have been plenty time for him to asphyxiate on his own vomit.

[chewy]

When I first started with Customs we had a huge Ty corp Beanie Baby issue. While I believe in the Intelectual Property Rights and Copy Right laws that we enforced the Beanie Baby thing was rediculous. We were taking them from little kids coming back from over seas and everything making them cry... it was all very sad and rediculous!

[retdetsgt]

When I first started with Customs we had a huge Ty corp Beanie Baby issue. While I believe in the Intelectual Property Rights and Copy Right laws that we enforced the Beanie Baby thing was rediculous. We were taking them from little kids coming back from over seas and everything making them cry... it was all very sad and rediculous!

Ding Ding! We have a winner!

[chewy]

It was horrible! We seized hundreds of thousands or more of them in the late 1990's. In order to protect thier IPR's we took them all!!! It got out of hand for sure and ultimatly the Ty Corp backed off a bit and said personal imports of a certain number per person were OK. Counterfit goods is a serious issue but it seems silly when we get into something of the extent of the stupid stuffed dolls!

[cntryboy0531]

I assisted in this, but I did not do the charges.

I was out with a suspicious person in a city in my jurisdiction. Mouthy little bastard teenager. Well, I had the city officer stand by with him while I ran warrants checks.. This city has an ordinance against spitting on a sidewalk, completely arrestable. I get out of my car just in enough time to hear this...

Teenager: *Spit*
Officer: Don't do that..
Teenager: *Spit* F$%^ you!!"
Me and Officer: *Face plant across the hood of his car*
Teenager: *Crying and yelling for his mommy*

City took him for it. Great time to be had by all.

[retdetsgt]

I assisted in this, but I did not do the charges.

I was out with a suspicious person in a city in my jurisdiction. Mouthy little bastard teenager. Well, I had the city officer stand by with him while I ran warrants checks.. This city has an ordinance against spitting on a sidewalk, completely arrestable. I get out of my car just in enough time to hear this...

Teenager: *Spit*
Officer: Don't do that..
Teenager: *Spit* F$%^ you!!"
Me and Officer: *Face plant across the hood of his car*
Teenager: *Crying and yelling for his mommy*

City took him for it. Great time to be had by all.

That should fall into the most fun call category.