WESTMINSTER, Md. — $500 for the first offense, $750 for the second and $1,000 for the third.
Nuisance crimes like theft, prostitution and drug use can carry hefty penalties, but the costly fines we’re referring to are for exceeding your allotted number of calls to report crimes under a new ordinance passed in Carroll County.
“I’m not sure how I feel about there being a limitation on how many times you can call into the sheriff’s office,” said Nora Drury of Westminster. “I don’t know how to remedy that.”
The new measure came after the sheriff reportedly claimed a handful of retail stores were unduly tying up his deputies.
Now, after five calls for service in a single year, a business can be placed on probation and limited to just 10 more calls before they’ll be fined for each one.
Single family homes and multi-family dwellings will face their own limits.
Questions surrounding the new ordinance extend to other law enforcement agencies as well.
Maryland State Police say it does not apply to them, while Westminster Police are still trying to determine that, while some business leaders are contemplating the common sense behind threatening them for reporting crimes, whether they’re considered nuisances or not.
“If that kind of heavy duty stuff was going on, then I would be on the phone,” said Cindy Zepp, the co-owner of Westminster New & Used Furniture. “I’d be on the phone. I’d be real angry if they didn’t show or if they fined me for calling it in. You know. That’s crazy.”
