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New York City Council May Ease Enforcement of Laws on Public Urination

  • Cops would have discretion to issue civil or criminal summons
  • Law would also reduce penalties for public drinking, littering
Speaker of the New York City Council Melissa Mark-Viverito speaks at a press conference on Oct. 28, 2014, in New York City.

Speaker of the New York City Council Melissa Mark-Viverito speaks at a press conference on Oct. 28, 2014, in New York City.

Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images
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Urinating and drinking in public would no longer be treated as crimes under a package of bills New York’s City Council will consider to ease enforcement of quality-of-life offenses that lawmakers say clog the courts and have been disproportionately enforced against minorities.

The council scheduled a Jan. 25 hearing on the proposed laws, which are supported by Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, a majority of her 50 colleagues and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton. The proposal would remove the possibility of permanent criminal records for public urination and violating park rules, mostly treating them as civil offenses, along with public drinking, littering and excessive noise.