XYP Alert in Flint, Mich., as Cops Police Saggy Pants

Criminal Justice

XYP Alert in Flint, Mich., as Cops Police Saggy Pants

Posted Jul 9, 2008, 06:57 pm CDT
By Martha Neil

A new interim police chief in Flint, Mich., is trying to encourage some residents to examine their pants.

In a June 27 memo, Chief David Dicks seeks to educate his officers about the standards of appropriate attire, as he sees them: Pants that sag completely below the wearer's buttocks, revealing underwear, constitute disorderly conduct. Even if they don't go that low, pants that sag sufficiently to show the skin of wearer's buttocks constitute indecent exposure. And pants that reveal underwear should garner an XYP warning even if they don't meet either of the other two standards, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Concerns have been raised that such enforcement targets young African-American men, among whom the style is popular, and an ACLU lawyer says the Flint enforcement plans are a "vast waste of resources" that also implicates constitutional issues.

"Some people call it a fad," Dicks, 41, tells the newspaper. "But I believe it's a national nuisance. It is indecent and thus it is indecent exposure, which has been on the books for years."

Related coverage:

ABAJournal.com: "Saggy Pants Ban Fails in CT Town"

Comments

Report Abuse

Posted by associate - 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 23 hours, 11 minutes ago

Sounds similar to the ‘broken windows’ or ‘spitting on the sidewalk’ strategy to me. And that has turned out pretty well for those that have employed it.

Commenting has expired on this post.

ABA Journal - Law News Now

Criminal Justice