In Flint, Mich. Saggy Pants= Probable Cause for Arrest

New police chief orders strict enforcement of ordinance making show of ass crack punishable by up to three months in jail.

Michigan Live.com reports

FLINT, Michigan -- The city's new police chief is saying no to crack.
Acting Flint Police Chief David R. Dicks announced Thursday that officers will begin arresting people wearing pants or shorts that sag too low exposing rear ends.

"This immoral self expression goes beyond free speech," said Dicks in a statement released Thursday. "It rises to the crime of indecent exposure/disorderly persons."

It's a style that irks many -- a few cities nationwide have banned the rear-revealing pants -- but the order also raises serious questions about how it would be enforced, if it disproportionately targets young black men and if ultra-low riders should be considered Constitutionally protected.

So, is Dicks going too far?

Greg Gibbs, an ACLU attorney in Flint, said how people wear their clothing is a form of expression but cautions that not all of those forms are protected by the Constitution.

"The issue is: Does it violate the First Amendment?" said Gibbs, adding he plans to research the issue further.

Some Flint residents are all for busting those who go bottoms out.

"It's overdue," said Sam Berry, 73, of Flint.

Gwendolyn R. Allen, 72, of Flint agreed.

"It's so disgusting ... It's disgraceful."

Claude Carter, 49, of Flint sees the issue differently though. He said wearing pants in that manner is a fad -- not a crime.

"I see young and old wearing their pants that way," said Carter. "It doesn't annoy me."

The crackdown on buttocks is an apparent response to "significant" complaints from citizens, according to Dicks.

Under the chief's orders, any sworn officer who sees "sagging/exposing buttocks" will have probable cause to make an arrest under the city's disorderly person ordinance -- a misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine and three months in jail.

Thanks to Wendy McElroy