After listening to a presentation by Monroe Police Chief Tim Quenzer on Tuesday, July 21, the Monroe City Council decided to make no alterations to the city ordinance governing panhandling activities. The city looked into the matter in response to recent citizen concerns.
Adopted in 2008, Monroe's current panhandling ordinance prohibits coercive solicitation, which is otherwise known as aggressive panhandling. The existing regulations are outlined in Monroe Municipal Code chapter 9.35, under "Regulation of Solicitation,GÇ¥ along with established definitions of what constitutes "coerciveGÇ¥ or aggressive panhandling.
The definition encompasses various intrusive activities, including blocking the passage of a person or a vehicle for the purpose of solicitation, false representation during the course of a solicitation, approaching or gesturing in a manner that reasonable minds would find threatening, approaching within one foot of a person without their consent, or persisting in a solicitation after receiving a negative response.
The important thing, said Quenzer, is that the when an individual is faced with aggressive panhandling, they call 9-1-1 immediately, and remain on scene until an officer arrives.
"These crimes require a victim, they are not crimes against society,GÇ¥ Quenzer said. "If one of these violations has occurred, the victim needs to get a hold of the police department. Not Facebook, not their neighbor. They need to get a hold of the police department.GÇ¥
Passively holding a sign, provided that the solicitor isn't on private property, is generally permissible; however, the legality of the action is dependent on time, distance and location criteria established in the code. Simply asking someone for money, in many cases, is not illegal. Monroe disallows panhandling within 20 feet of bus stops, ramps and intersections, and prohibits panhandling activities before sunrise or after sundown.
Once the panhandling activity moves beyond sign-holding and into the category of aggressiveness, the case cannot be prosecuted without a statement from a victim.
"It's not a crime against society. It's a crime against an individual, or a victim, and that victim needs to get a hold of us,GÇ¥ Quenzer said. "If they don't get a hold of us, it's not prosecutable.GÇ¥
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