Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs -> Grits for Breakfast

Criminal Law

: Grits for Breakfast

Austin PD finally will implement citations for petty misdemeanors

After a year and a half of delay, the Austin Chronicle reports the Austin Police Department will finally begin using new authority granted to them by the Lege to issue citations instead of arresting, at the officers' discretion, for certain low-level, nonviolent misdemeanors. Reports Jordan Smith ("Cite and release in (almost full) effect," Feb. 22):On Feb. 22, the Austin Police Department began implementing the so-called cite-and-release law, which authorizes police to forgo arresting individuals for certain misdemeanor offenses. The law does not decriminalize any of the offenses ? among them, possession of small amounts of marijuana ? but allows an officer, under specific conditions, to decline to book a person into jail for initial processing, thereby saving time, money, and police manpower...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on February 24, 2009 (boomark / email).