muon2
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« on: September 23, 2016, 09:03:40 AM » |
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Many laws are enforceable, but due to limited resources can't be aggressively enforced. There's a grey area due to this that may make it seem that the laws are not being enforced.
To use an example, consider a municipal noise ordinance. Suppose the law says that if you are creating sound in excess of 60 dB at the property line you are subject to a fine. A person sees the police drive by a loud party and do nothing, so they ask why does the city have a noise ordinance if it is not enforced?
This is probably a case of selective enforcement due to procedure. It is a waste of police to have them continuously checking sound levels throughout the city when there are more serious threats that require active policing. So the police will wait until a neighbor complains and then check the situation for a violation. Even when there is a complaint the police would have the discretion to issue a warning and not a ticket.
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