Oregon County to Stop Prosecuting Arrests for Heroin, Shoplifting, Hit and Run, Prostitution

[The Straight Story]

Oregon County to Stop Prosecuting Arrests for Heroin, Shoplifting, Hit and Run, Prostitution

Lacking the resources to prosecute due to budget cuts, District Attorney Mike Schrunk of Multnomah County, Oregon, says his office will no longer go after low-level drug offenders and thieves as well as other violators of the law.

People will only be cited and will not serve jail time for breaking such laws as
· drug possession (small amounts)
· shoplifting (first or second offense) less than $250
· resisting arrest
· hit and run (if it turns out they have insurance).
· exposure of genitalia in the presence of children
· prostitution
· animal abuse

Schrunk issued a memo detailing the full list of misdemeanors he won’t prosecute.

http://www.allgov.com/Unusual_News/ViewNews/Oregon_County_to_Stop_Prosecuting_Arrests_for_Heroin_Shoplifting_Hit_and_Run_Prostitution_101013

[Skip Intro]

1. Crazy. Budget cuts have real effects. Surely something other than letting criminals run amok could

be done.

[tularetom]

2. Not sure about the exposure and animal abuse

But otherwise I have no problem with his decision.

[SoCalDem]

4. same here.. protecting the ones who cannot protect themselves should be paramount

The others are mostly property & regulation violations.. big difference..

getting in a fender bender is not equal to indecent exposure or tormenting an animal.

[Motown_Johnny]

3. victim less crimes I could maybe see, but exposure to children and animal abuse

is way beyond what should be tolerated

[HuckleB]

8. Absolutely. And hit and run is another one that's not victimless.

It happened to my wife when she was a bike. Luckily witnesses stopped, helped her, and gave the police the information needed to track the individual down. You don't hit someone and take off. They might need help, just to begin with!

[Sanity Claws]

5. That's Portland

and suburbs for those not familiar with Oregon. I wonder how Nordstrom and other retailers will react.

[HuckleB]

7. They already do most of it on their own.

Most of the kids I work with who get arrested face a multiple year ban from the store and the mall, if it's in a mall. That's a bigger deterrent than some community service, if anything is a deterrent at all.

[DCKit]

6. The headline is incorrect...

from the actual memo:

"Misdemeanor Possession of a Controlled Substance offenses including residue quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin."

He's not decriminalizing the possession of heroin... just weed.

http://www.mcda.us/revised_misdemeanor_procedures_memorandum.pdf