Is Chi-Town a kind town?

This story seems to suggest it is somewhat kind.

Some marijuana arrests may mean just a ticket

By David Heinzmann
Tribune staff reporter
Published September 21, 2004

With most arrests for small amounts of marijuana dismissed by the courts or dropped by prosecutors, Chicago police are exploring whether writing tickets would be a more effective way to handle such cases.

Writing an ordinance violation citation for possession of under 30 grams of marijuana might save hours of fruitless labor for police and result in more fines paid to the city, Police Officer Thomas Donegan said in a memo to Supt. Philip Cline.

Frustrated at seeing most of his minor drug arrests dismissed in court, Donegan said the department would do better to write ordinance violation citations.

With ordinance violations it is easier to find the defendants guilty, Donegan wrote, and fines levied would go to city coffers. Several suburbs write tickets for possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Police officials said they are considering the proposal, which would require City Council approval to prosecute such the cases as an ordinance violation rather than as a state crime. The officials said they have not made any decision.

Police spokesman David Bayless acknowledged that not arresting people possessing small amounts of marijuana would be a departure from the aggressive give-no-ground tactics the department has pursued over the last year.

"However, you could argue that it would let us keep more officers on the street," he said. One of the complaints in Donegan's proposals is that officers waste large amounts of time creating paperwork and going to court, preparing to testify in drug cases that end up being dismissed.

In 2003, 8,041 people were arrested for possessing less than 2 1/2 grams of marijuana, according to police statistics. Circuit Court records show a slightly smaller number of cases being charged, but 94 percent of them were later dropped, according to Donegan's report.

The numbers are similar for arrests for possession of less than 10 grams. Of the less than 3,000 arrests of people caught with between 10 and 30 grams, just over half of those cases were dropped.

A spokesman for Cook County State's Atty. Richard Devine said the office is open to discussing the idea with police.

"To my knowledge, the superintendent hasn't called us to ask for a meeting, but we meet with him from time to time," said spokesman John Gorman.
Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune