Illegal donation seekers and panhandlers at Baltimore County intersections soon will face criminal penalties under a new law adopted Monday night. Members of the Baltimore County Council unanimously approved a measure that requires police to issue $100 fines to anyone soliciting donations on county roadsides without a proper permit.
The bill also gives police discretion to arrest solicitors who refuse to leave or become unruly, said Councilman Vince Gardina, D-District 5.
“I?ve been getting a lot of complaints,” said Gardina, who sponsored the bill. “It presents a safety issue.”
The council voted in June to require permits for solicitation but charged county code enforcement officers with issuing $100 civil fines. But lawmakers said the short-staffed code enforcement rarely responded to complaints and civil penalties were ineffective as deterrents. Under the new law, violators will be issued a ticket and could appeal the offense ? a misdemeanor ? in District Court. Police said their enforcement, however, is limited to county-owned roads.
“Padonia Road is a county-owned road and the person soliciting can get a ticket,” Baltimore County Police spokesman Bill Toohey said. “If they move to York Road, that is a state road, they can?t get a ticket. But it?s a law and we?ll enforce it as best we can.”
County administrators expressed some hesitation over consuming police resources with what could be considered a nuisance crime, but said the law will be re-evaluated in about six months to one year. Don Mohler, a spokesman for County Executive Jim Smith, said the bill does have merits: Code enforcement officers must be dispatched to areas of complaints and police are likely to be nearby already.
Code enforcement officers are also off on weekends, when many complaints are filed, Mohler said.
“I think the council has really good intentions and we?ll certainly support it and see how it works,” Mohler said.
Recent laws restricting solicitation have drawn the ire of free speech organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, said Maryland chapter spokeswoman Meredith Curtis. The law raises “serious constitutional issues,” Curtis said, and the group is exploring further action to prevent enforcement.
