Wednesday, October 13, 2010
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.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Multnomah County Stops Prosecuting Dozens of Illegal Acts as Crimes, Widening Disparities Between Counties (by Aimee Green, The Oregonian)
Memo (District Attorney Michael Schrunk) (pdf)
Oakland Police Chief Threatens to Stop Responding to Burglaries and 40 Other Crimes (by noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
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