Title
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE 20, CHAPTER 2, DISORDERLY CONDUCT, OF THE REVISED GENERAL ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY (2000) AS AMENDED AND SUPPLEMENTED, TO ADD A NEW PARAGRAPH, PARAGRAPH 5, TO IMPROVE AND INCREASE THE PUBLIC SAFETY OF THE CITY OF NEWARK
On the instruction of the sponsor this legislation is being submitted to Council without Legistar review
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WHEREAS, loitering is recognized as a public nuisance; and
WHEREAS, action must be taken to combat the very real threat posed by gang intimidation and violence; and
WHEREAS, there is an immediate need to maintain and preserve the peace and tranquility to the common good of the neighborhoods of the city of Newark; now, therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, THAT:
Section 3. Title 20, Offenses, Miscellaneous, Chapter 2, Disorderly Conduct, Section 3, Annoying or Obstructing Persons; Penalty of the Revised Ordinances of the City of Newark, New Jersey (2000), as amended and supplemented be further amended to read as follows:
20:2-3. ANNOYING OR OBSTRUCTING PERSONS; PENALTY.
a. No person or persons shall:
1. Engage in any practice, sport or exercise having a tendency to annoy persons passing on the streets or sidewalks;
2. Molest or give annoyance to children attending any school or public building, or annoy any person or any teacher therein;
3. Willfully obstruct, molest, hinder, annoy, frighten, threaten, insult or interfere with any other person or persons lawfully upon any public thoroughfare or in any public place or in any automobile, bus or other public or private conveyance lawfully upon any public thoroughfare;
4. Collect in bodies or crowds for idle or unlawful purposes, to the annoyance or disturbance of other persons or travelers;
5. In areas known to be high crime areas or designated as heavy drug trafficking areas, no person shall remain idly, loafing or walking about aimlessly, which shall also include the colloquial expression 'hanging around', in essentially one location, in front of retail establishments, nor in front or in the vicinity of abandoned or vacant properties.
b. Any person who violates any provision of this section shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by one or more of the following penalties: (1) a fine not exceeding one thousand ($1,000.00) dollars; (2) imprisonment for any term not exceeding ninety (90) days; or (3) a period of community service not exceeding ninety (90) days. Separate offenses shall be deemed committed on each day during or on which a violation occurs or continues.
(R.O. 1966 § 17:2-3; Ord. 6 S+FC, 5-20-98)
This article shall take effect upon final passage and publication in accordance with the law.
STATEMENT
This ordinance authorizes the police department to issue summonses and make arrests of all persons who are reasonably believed to be in violation of this section so as to improve the public safety of the city of Newark.