Cigarette butt = litter?

[rfburns]

Does anyone charge for flicking cigarette butts out the window? It's a peeve of mine, but I think I'm the only one in the world that cares. I've never heard of another officer charging for that. Heck, I've seen several officers flick butts out the window on occasion.

I heard from one of the old-timers that once upon a time, they did a project where they covertly watched an intersection all day and charged everyone that threw out a cigarette butt. I'm sure they charged dozens. Come court time, the DA dropped them all and was ticked the officers brought all those charges.

So, am I the only one? Would you charge?

[CurlyQ]

I wanted to write a girl once. I was still in field training, and I stopped a woman for suspicion of DWI. Her attitude was okay with me, but she was completely disrespectful to my FTO. She threw her cigarette butt on the ground in front of us. She blew a .07 on the Alcosensor, so my FTO told her to call for a ride home. I asked him if I could write her for littering, and he told me not to bother.

There may be a time that I write someone for it. It'll depend on the circumstances.

[Highwaylaw]

If I'm on the motor behind you and you flick a butt out the window, ticket. If I have you stopped and you toss the butt as I approach or while I'm speaking with you, I advise you of the fine for same. As of this writing EVERYONE has gotten out of the car (if I allow it) and reteived their 'trash'.

[Barbrady]

Its a peeve of mine too and I will stop for it but I always remember back to my rookie school days when an instructor told me that our DA's are not interested in petty stuff like that. Weak.

[thomasw]

I write GS 14-399(c) every time I see someone throw a cigarette out of their vehicle, it is a nasty habit that leaves filth on our streets, just look out your window while your at a stoplight and see if you can count all the cigarettes laying on the pavement and grass.

[radarlidartrckr]

I write atleast 1 a week.In an unmarked car they will almost throw it on top of you as you ride down the road.I have had people say to me-"i dont want my car to get dirty" or "i keep change in my ashtray" You are not alone , I'm out here writing them with ya.I do not consider litter a weak violation, sorry.

[Landric]

I have written it a time or two myself. I hate it when people do it, I should probably write it more than I do.

[COP103]

They usually drop the littering charge in court , but still have to pay court cost and miss time from work, so i write for littering when i see it.

[nctroop14]

I was on a traffic stop and they guy was puffing away as I was trying to speak to him. I asked him to put the cigarette out and he tossed it out the window onto my shoe. Needless to say, I made him get out and retrieve it after I asked him, "Do you think it's just going to disappear??". People Don't consider it as littering I guess. But like someone mentioned above, the butts add up and can make a street or highway look nasty.

[Gaylord Focker]

I've never made a littering case but I've talked about it before- particularly the cigarette butt issue. What I don't think most folks are considering is that this is a case with "evidence" and unless you, don't laugh, get that butt and put it in evidence- it'd be easy enough to lose that case.

Misdemeanor marijuana- you'd better have some marijuana evidence. Misdemeanor littering, wouldn't it be the same thing?

Just making conversation and I know every state is different and I bet nobody has had a littering trial- however: if that littering stop leads to the proverbial kilo sitting on the back seat, you might need to win that littering case first.

[bandscar]

I write it every time I see it.

Look back to this time last year when the skies were filled with forest fire smoke. 40,000 acres burned in eastern NC and at least one of the fires was said to have started from a discarded cigarette.

If you want to cut them a break, write it for unintentional littering, since they all say they didn't realize it was against the law.

I hate pulling up to an intersection and seeing hundreds of butts everywhere.

[grumpyirishman]

I am one of those that toss butts out the window after field-stripping. I watch to see if there are any motors to my rear, or other vehicles. Yes, I even do it in my g-ride!

[stillamarine]

I've wrote it once. Some kid being punk and flicked his cigarette right at me during a traffic stop. He got 4 UTCs and the litteriting ticket.

[CobaltNC]

I certainly stop for it. Writing it depends on a variety of factors, attitude and other violations being key...

[towncop]

We can write it for littering here in Indiana. Furthermore, if the butt is still "burning," we can write for a statute that was created a few years ago, "Throwing burning material from a vehicle." You'd be AMAZED how many OWI's I've nabbed with this one over the years working nights!

[ChadRees]

In Washington state its a $75 dollar fine, we had a AD campaign to try and stop it due to all the freeway brush fires it caused.

[rfburns]

Thanks, guys... It's good to know that I'm not the only one it annoys. I'm much more inclined to write for it knowing that I'm not the one lone "rogue" officer enforcing something nobody else does.

It seems like the general public thinks of it as a law that's not really a law. Kind of like if we suddenly started citing for GS 14-186.

[Barbrady]

I write atleast 1 a week.In an unmarked car they will almost throw it on top of you as you ride down the road.I have had people say to me-"i dont want my car to get dirty" or "i keep change in my ashtray" You are not alone , I'm out here writing them with ya.I do not consider litter a weak violation, sorry.

Just to clarify and be perfectly clear the "weak" I was referring to was that of the DA's office.

[RCKoutWurGLKout]

Thanks, guys... It's good to know that I'm not the only one it annoys. I'm much more inclined to write for it knowing that I'm not the one lone "rogue" officer enforcing something nobody else does.

It seems like the general public thinks of it as a law that's not really a law. Kind of like if we suddenly started citing for GS 14-186.

Keep it up... like someone else said, at the very least, it inconveniences the person enough to make them think "should I really throw out that cigarette butt" again?

Personally, if I were in the enforcement side, I might cite it too. My dad was riding his bike out on the road and these jerks cut him off and the passenger leaned out and flicked the cigarette butt at him intentionally. They were mad b/c he had gotten in front of them with his motorcycle and went the speed limit...so yeah, that kinda thing...keep your trash in the car....

Now, I will be the first to admit I have thrown food out the window occasionally, like a banana peel or sunflower seed casings, but I only do it if no one is around me and if it's a peel, when I'm out in the country so it will just decompose.

[Citizen85]

It seems like the general public thinks of it as a law that's not really a law. Kind of like if we suddenly started citing for GS 14-186.

Cite those people flicking their cigarette butts. Its ugly, a fire hazard, and is terrible for the environment.

I'm not so sure about GS 14-186. Am I mistaken or doesn't NC also have laws against pre-marital sex, oral sex, and sex in any position other than missionary? Planning on charging anyone for those? Not so sure that is considered constitutional anymore.

Those old laws are kind of funny but pale in comparison to some of the local ordinances still on the books...you know the ones like: no riding camels in the downtown past 3:00PM on Sundays. Those are always good.

[GrayPatriot]

I have written it a few times. A lot of people don't consider it littering which amazes me. I tell New York State is not your ash tray!

[HIPCHIP]

I wrote a lady for this once. She saw me later and said it cost her $125, and that was about 20 years a go. I wrote them all that I could. After standing in 100+ degree heat directing traffic at a fire that made it a heck of a lot hotter, I didn't have much sympathy for anyone who couldn't take the time to use an ashtray.

[obxemt]

I've never written for it but was in court for a trial once. Lady flicked one out the window and it hie the hood of the officer's car.

I get a kick out of being on calls when someone will carefully put it out then tuck the butt neatly in their pocket so they don't get charged with littering . . . on their own property.

[Copper1974]

In Ohio littering is $500, or m-3. You can arrest someone for it.

[Copper1974]

Good reason for dope boys.