[HISTORY: Adopted by The Commissioners of St. Michaels 3-14-1978
by Ord. No. 119. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Peace and good order — See Ch. 230.
No person shall loiter in or upon any public place within the Town of
St. Michaels.
For the purpose of this chapter only, the following definitions shall
apply. Any term not specifically defined herein shall assume its ordinary
and customary meaning.
The idle or aimless lingering or remaining, without apparent lawful
purpose, at any public place:
In such a manner as to willfully obstruct, hinder or impede the free
flow or passage of pedestrian or vehicular traffic by, along or through a
public place;
In such a manner as to willfully create or cause to be created an annoyance,
harassment, inconvenience, interference or nuisance to any person lawfully
in said public place, or vicinity thereof, by means of unsolicited words or
acts which would be annoying, disgusting, harassing, insulting, obscene, offensive,
profane, loud or unseemly to a reasonable person in the community; or
In such a manner as to willfully create or cause to be created a breach
of the peace, public disturbance, or threat to the person or property of others.
A police officer may request any person who is idling or aimlessly lingering
or remaining in a public place to move or go elsewhere if, in the opinion
of the police officer, that person, although not actually impeding traffic,
annoying or disturbing other people, or causing injury to person or property,
is likely to cause any of the circumstances which, when combined with the
said lingering in a public place, constitute loitering as herein above defined.
If said person fails to move from said public place as directed by the police
officer within 15 minutes or returns thereto within two hours after being
so directed by the police officer, he or she shall be deemed to have loitered
in violation of this chapter. When requesting any such person to move or go
elsewhere the police officer shall recite to the person the reason for believing
that the person is likely to impede traffic, annoy or disturb other people,
or injure persons or property.
