MIDDLEBOROUGH (AP) - Police in Middleborough won't be able to write
tickets for swearing in public until the state attorney general's office
determines if the new bylaw is constitutional.
That process could take months, and at least one person thinks the new bylaw
might not go into effect.
Selectman Stephen McKinnon tells The Enterprise of Brockton that his gut
feeling is that the attorney general won't pass the bylaw. He says good behavior
and common courtesy can't be legislated.
Residents in Middleborough last week voted to approve a proposal from the
police chief to impose a $20 fine on public profanity.
Officials say the proposal wasn't intended to censor casual or private
conversations, but instead to crack down on loud, profanity-laden language used
by teens and other young people in the downtown area and public parks.
