Solciting Prostitution is Not Subject to PM Forni's Rules

Apparently, soliciting prostitution is "illegal" in Howard County. What a crock.

Howard County police charged 10 people with soliciting prostitution in Jessup Oct. 16 following an undercover operation along Route 1, county police said this week.

During the operation, female officers in plain clothes stood near the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Cedar Avenue -- identified as a problem area by citizens -- to determine whether they would be approached and offered money for sex, police said.

This totally goes against choosing civility, and several of PM Forni's 25 rules of civility.

What about rule 18, "Avoid personal questions?" How about personal questions like, "Are you soliciting a prostitute, sir/madam?" Those are pretty personal to me.

Or maybe rule 15, "Respect other people's space" - space to solicit prostitutes.

Then again, the raid reminds people of rule 21 - "Think twice before asking for favors."

There Is a Line Between Civility and Stupidity

The Howard County police are advising people to take the valuables out of their car thanks to a recent string of car break ins.

What are people leaving in cars?

The thefts continue in part because valuables are left in cars, according to police, including such items as GPS units, laptop computers, stereos, portable music players, purses and briefcases.

I know that Howard County is a nice place to live, and crime is low, but even I would at least have to consider stealing some of that stuff if it was in plain view in a car.

As Jimbo Jones said on The Simpsons, "Five finger discount!"

HoCo Police Announce DUI Checkpoint

The Baltimore Sun has the news today that the HoCo Police will be setting up a DUI checkpoint this week.

Howard County police plan to conduct a sobriety checkpoint this week, though they did not say where.

Police said in a news release that eight people died in alcohol-related crashes last year and that 1,340 people were charged with DUI in Howard. So far this year, police said, eight people have died and 801 have been charged.

In publicizing checkpoints, "police hope that by promoting awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving, the number of drivers under the influence will decline," the release said.

I do not endorse drunk driving. It costs lives needlessly when there are a lot of options out there.

In Maryland, though, officers must provide an opportunity for drivers to turn around and avoid the sobriety checkpoint. Further, an officer at said checkpoint cannot use that action as grounds to pull over a car. (Not true in some other states.) So, people could see the lights and signs and just turn right around - causing more damage.

Add to that the fact that they infringe on 4th Amendment rights, despite William Rehnquist's findings in Michigan State Police v. Sitz (1990). The SCOTUS remanded the decision back to the Michigan State Supreme Court, which eventually deemed checkpoints illegal. It does not seem that the SCOTUS has made a ruling on the legality of sobriety checkpoints since - at least of real significance.

Interestingly enough, I had found a number of examples in which the number of DWI/DUI arrests has dramatically increased because of these checkpoints. There is a critical balance to keep in mind, though - the obvious civil desire to stop drunk driving while not violating civil liberties to act without suspicion.

This is an aside to the larger point that the police have told you that they're coming to get you some night this week. So, in the spirit of Embracing Hostility Against Your Civil Liberties, if you're going to get smashed, make sure you can either walk, bicycle, or cab it back home. This way, you don't maim anyone, and you don't get arrested through Draconian law enforcement tactics.