Quincy considering three ordinance changes

QUINCY - Quincy is examining three ordinances aimed at reducing crime in the city.

The city council agreed to forward three Yakima ordinances to the city attorney to fit them into the city's codes. The ordinances make it a misdemeanor to fight in a city park, declare residents a public nuisance and exclude some criminals from public parks.

The first proposed ordinance makes "fighting or quarreling or encouraging others to fight in any public place in the city" a misdemeanor. State law sets punishment for misdemeanors at up to 90 days in jail and up to a $1,000 fine.

"What happens now is we get a report that kids are fighting and we go out there and everybody wants to say, 'No, no everything is fine. Don't want to press any charges,'" Mayor Jim Hemberry said.

The proposed ordinance would allow police to issue a citation to everyone involved, he said.

The second proposal is geared at forcing landlords to evict tenants who cause problems with the law, Hemberry said.

If police are called to a residence for serious crimes, drug activity or other crimes three times in 60 days, the city could charge the landlord up to $500 a day, according to the Yakima ordinance.

"They have to come down and work with the chief. They have to develop a plan on how they're going to fix that problem. If they don't fix it, it's $500 a day until they do," Hemberry said. "I asked them in Sunnyside and in Yakima, and they said, 'Yes, we're using this and yes, it works.'"

If the city pursued the proposal, officials would meet with all the landlords to explain what the ordinance means, he said.

"We've already had landlords that approached us before about letting them know when (the police) get calls because they're willing to evict people," Hemberry said. The final proposal prevents people from coming into city parks when they've committed a crime in a park before, he said.

"We know a lot of illegal activity goes on in the park," Hemberry said. "If we catch them doing something we can exclude them from the park. Then, if they violate that exclusion, then we got another way we can go after them."