MADISON SEEKS INPUT ON LOITERING LAW

The city of Madison wants to hear from people in neighborhoods where its
controversial anti-loitering law is enforced.

Enacted in 1997, the law bans loitering for purposes of illegal drug activity.

It's been applauded as a tool for police to attack open-air drug markets
and criticized as discriminatory and an infringement on civil rights.

In 2000, police used the law to stop 414 individuals, issuing 54 loitering
citations, which cost $200 to $1,000, city statistics show. The police also
issued citations for drug-related offenses, trespassing and other offenses.

Of the loitering citations, 76 percent went to black males, 13 percent to
black females, 9 percent to white males and 2 percent to Latinos.

During the next two weeks, the Equal Opportunities Commission and Public
Safety Review Board will conduct joint hearings in neighborhoods most
affected by the law, including the campus area, Allied Drive, and the North
and South sides.

"We don't often go out to the community to hear concerns," PSRB Chairwoman
Terry Moen said. "We're hoping to hear about what people's experience has
been."

The law has divided the Madison City Council, which has set expiration
dates for the law but always renewed it. In renewing the law earlier this
year, the council required hearings in neighborhoods. The law expires in March.

"We think that the community needs to inform decision makers," EOC
president Bert Zipperer said.

The EOC and PSRB are even taking anonymous comments, Zipperer said.

The law remains a valuable tool in confronting open air drug dealing,
police said.

"It has been useful, but it's not a panacea to address all the problems we
have in neighborhoods," said Capt. Luis Yudice, who oversees criminal
intelligence for the Madison Police Department.

It's unfortunate that most open-air drug dealing occurs in black
neighborhoods on the South Side and Allied Drive area, Yudice said, and
that the law is mostly used against blacks.

The law has been a moral dilemma for police, Yudice said.

"We hear from victims who want our help," he said. "But we are faced with a
backlash when we are accused with targeting certain groups, which isn't the
case."

The EOC and PSRB intend to produce a report and recommendations by the end
of the year for council review, Zipperer said.