[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council
of the Township of Washington as indicated in article histories. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 2-24-2005 by Ord. No. 4-2005[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed
former Art. I, Disorderly Conduct, adopted 10-26-1995 by Ord. No.
26-1995 as Sec. 4-5 of the 1994 Code.
A.
LOITERING
PARENT or GUARDIAN
PUBLIC PLACE
Definitions. As used in this article, the following
terms have the meanings indicated:
A person, whether on foot or in a motor vehicle, that remains
idle or prowls in a public place, walking about aimlessly or manifesting
no purpose or manifesting a purpose prohibited by this article.
Includes any adult person having care or custody of a minor,
whether by reason of blood relationship, by order of any court or
charged with the care and custody of any minor.
Any place to which the public has access, including a street,
highway, road, alley or sidewalk. It shall also include the front
of any shop, store, restaurant, tavern or other place of business;
public grounds, including but not limited to public parks and grounds
as well as parking lots or other property within public parks and
grounds; the front yard of any residential dwelling, whether a single-family
home, multifamily dwelling, town home, condominium or apartment; any
open space or common area in any housing development, whether single-family
or multifamily, whether maintained by a homeowners' association or
dedicated open space. Such public property shall also include any
vacant private property not owned by or under the control of the person
charged with violating this article, or, in the case of a minor, not
owned by or under the control of his or her parent or guardian.
B.
Certain types of loitering prohibited.
(1)
No persons shall loiter in a public place to as to
manifest the purpose:
(a)
Create or cause to be created a danger or a
breach of the peace.
(b)
Create or cause to be created any disturbance
or annoyance to the comfort and repose of any person.
(c)
Obstruct the free passage of pedestrians or
vehicles.
(d)
Obstruct, molest or interfere with any person
lawfully in any public place. This subsection shall include the act
of making remarks in offensively coarse language or of a disgusting
or insulting nature which are calculated to annoy or disturb the person
to whom or in whose hearing they are made.
(3)
No person shall loiter on the streets or other public
places of the Township, and no person shall, on said streets or in
such public places or on any private property or in any private or
public conveyances within the Township, indulge in any other loud
and offensively coarse or indecent language or shall address or make
audible any offensive remarks or comments upon any person passing
along such streets or public places or in any public or private conveyances
or upon private property.
C.
Loitering by minors. No parent or guardian of a minor
(person under the age of 18) shall permit, suffer or allow his or
her minor to loiter in violation of this chapter.
D.
Police, disbursement of loitering persons. Any police
officer of the Township of Washington, in exercise of reasonable law
enforcement judgment, should determine that persons in any public
place or private property as described herein are engaged in conduct
which violates this article. Said officer, when necessary to preserve
the public peace and safety, shall order that persons engaged in such
activity are required to leave the public place. It shall be a violation
of this article to disregard the lawful order of a police officer
to leave a public place after being ordered to do so by a police officer.
This provision shall not merge with any other violation of this article
or any state statute.
No person shall engage in a practice, sport,
exercise or other physical activity knowingly so as to frighten animals
or other persons passing in the streets or sidewalks or in a public
place.
No person or persons shall make, aid, suffer
or assist in making any improper noise, disturbance, riot or other
breach of the peace in the streets and highways or any public place
within the Township.
No person or persons shall disquiet or disturb
any congregation or assembly met for religious worship by making noise
or by rude or indecent behavior or profane discourse within or about
any such congregation or assembly of people.
No person or persons shall skate, sled, indulge
in games or otherwise congregate on any highway, street or road in
the part thereof that is used for vehicular traffic.
A.
It shall be unlawful for any person to consume any
alcoholic beverage or to possess any alcoholic beverage in an open
container with the intent to consume the same on any sidewalk, street,
avenue, highway, public parking lot or other public place, or in any
motor vehicle not on private property within the Township of Washington
at any time.
B.
It shall be unlawful for any person to consume any
alcoholic beverage or to possess any alcoholic beverage in an open
container with intent to consume the same on any parking lot, yard
or other open area which is open to the public or to which the public
is invited at any time.
C.
It shall be unlawful for the owner or any other person in control of any such parking lot, yard or other open area which is open to the public or to which the public is invited as described in Subsection B above to knowingly permit or suffer the consumption or possession in an open container with intent to consume any alcoholic beverage on said premises by any person at any time.
[Adopted 10-26-1995 by Ord. No. 26-1995 as Sec. 4-2 of the 1994 Code]
It shall be unlawful for any person to jump,
dive, fish or bathe from any public bridge or its approaches crossing
or spanning a spillway or outlet from any pond or lake in this Township.
It shall be unlawful for any person to loiter
on the footwalk or driveway of any public bridge or its approaches
crossing or spanning a spillway or outlet from any pond or lake in
this Township. For purposes of this section, bridge approaches shall
be deemed to be that portion of any highway or roadway within 150
feet of a bridge abutment.
It shall be unlawful to park automobiles or
vehicles of any description on any public brides or approaches to
public bridges crossing or spanning a spillway or outlet from any
pond or lake in this Township.
No person or persons shall congregate, park
automobiles or any other vehicle on any public bridge or its approaches
crossing or spanning a spillway or outlet from any pond or lake in
this Township, in such a way as to interfere with the free and uninterrupted
use by pedestrians and drivers of automobiles or other vehicles at
all times.