Pubdate: Wed, 01 Jul 2015
Source: Bulletin, The (Bend, OR)
Copyright: 2015 Western Communications Inc.
Contact:  http://www.bendbulletin.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/62
Author: Scott Hammers

AS MARIJUANA IS LEGALIZED, CITATIONS DROP OFF

Bend Police Already Wrote Small Number of Pot Citations

The number of marijuana possession citations written by the Bend 
Police Department dropped in the months leading up to today, the 
first day adults 21 and over will be permitted to legally possess and 
consume marijuana.

In the first six months of 2015, Bend Police have written just more 
than half as many citations for possession of less than 1 ounce of 
marijuana, possession of less than 5 grams of marijuana and 
possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana within 1,000 feet of a 
school as they did in 2013 and 2014.

Just three possession citations were issued in May, two in June, and 
none since June 17.

Lt. Clint Burleigh, spokesman for the department, said there has been 
no directive from department management to ease up on marijuana 
citations in light of today's legalization.

However, he said, individual officers may be using some discretion in 
deciding whether to issue a ticket to an individual found with marijuana.

"There's nothing I know of that's been said, 'Hey guys, don't write 
tickets anymore because it's going to be legal anyway,'" Burleigh said.

Burleigh cautioned that because the total number of citations written 
per month is small - since the start of 2013, police have never 
issued more than 19 possession citations in a month - there will be 
some significant variance in the numbers regardless of department 
policy or the discretion of individual officers.

"I think if we'd been writing 100 citations and it dipped to 60, or 
to 25, that might be a little more valid, but I don't know," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom