An American rights group is suing the police in Pennsylvania for issuing tickets, which carry a jail sentence, to people for swearing.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which filed the lawsuits earlier, argues that the right to use profanity is protected by the U.S. Constitution.
"Unfortunately, many police departments in the commonwealth do not seem to be getting the message that swearing is not a crime," said Marieke Tuthill of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. "The courts have repeatedly found that profanity, unlike obscenity, is protected speech."
Obscenity, under the Supreme Court's definition, refers to speech that mainly appeals to the "prurient interest" in sex, according to the ACLU.
One lawsuit involves an unidentified woman in Luzerne County in northeast Pennsylvania who was given a citation which carries a maximum penalty of $300 and 90 days in jail after she yelled an offensive word at a motorcyclist who swerved close to her in October 2008.
In a separate case a man was arrested, cited for disorderly conduct and briefly jailed after shouting a double expletive at a policeman who was writing him a parking ticket.
The two are among at least 750 people in Pennsylvania a year who face illegal disorderly conduct charges because of the use of profanity in Pennsylvania, the ACLU said.
Citations for swearing have also been handed out in other states including Michigan and New York, according to the ACLU, which said it has successfully defended about a dozen people in profanity prosecutions.
But the group added that there are more citations given out in Pennsylvania than other states.
"Cops don't understand that there's a legal definition of obscenity and therefore issue citations for profanity," said Sara Mullen, a spokeswoman for the ACLU.
Tuthill added that the ACLU will continue to bring lawsuits until the practice of issuing citations for swearing is stopped.
Pennsylvania state police were not immediately available for comment.
This is fucked up right here!!!
Come to Bartow and we'll take your cookies!
BARTOW - You have heard of Cash for Clunkers -- one local law enforcement agency is swapping something else: cars for cocaine.
Cash is tight right now, so investigators say when accused drug dealer Herman Burgos Jr. wanted to buy cocaine from undercover officers, he didn't offer money -- he offered them his pride and joy.
It was a 1977 Chevelle that he restored himself. He also offered to throw in a Harley.
Deputies arrested him and threw him in jail.
If a judge decides that Burgos has to forfeit the car and bike, they will be sold at auction. The proceeds would go to law enforcement to continue their fight against drugs.
Agencies like the Polk County Sheriff's Office have seized all kinds of big ticket items in drug busts. They seized the two trucks that haul their mobile command centers out to emergencies.
And that's not all. They have picked up tractors, gold jewelry, plasma TVs -- anything officers can prove was bought with drug money.
Over the years, the Polk sheriff's office has even seized planes -- dozens of them.
The seizures are usually a source of income, but sometimes they end up a source of trouble: one agency actually seized a live tiger from a dealer.
The agency can bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of items in a year -- possibly more than a million. Especially now in these hard economic times, that cash helps give the Polk sheriff's office a much smoother ride.
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