As Greenwood considers banning saggy pants, other Mississippi cities have experienced varying degrees of success with their own ordinances barring droopy drawers.
Tupelo, which passed a ban on sagging pants in February, hasn’t issued a single citation since the ordinance became law, according to Larry Montgomery, director of the Tupelo Municipal Court.
“We’ve had it for awhile. We’ve seen no citations on it. Obviously, the word got out. ... What we have seen is very few pants south of the equator,” he said.
But as with any law, there are those who find a way to get around it — Montgomery said young men have responded by keeping their shirttails out, concealing where their pants actually ride.
Tupelo’s ordinance prohibits anyone from wearing pants or skirts that ride more than three inches below the top of the hips and expose skin or underwear.
Violators can be fined $50 the first time and up to $200 for each subsequent offense. They could also get up to 40 hours of community service.
Montgomery said the city’s ordinance allows police to either arrest offenders or issue a “post arrest release form,” which is similar to a traffic ticket.
The ordinance, he said, has value in that it can be used by police officers as probable cause to stop someone.
Once stopped, the officer could “uncover” a more serious offense, Montgomery said.
In Indianola, Police Chief Richard O’Bannon said the city modified its ordinance on saggy pants more than a year ago.
“If I’m out working in my yard, and I bend over are they going to arrest me?” O’Bannon asked rhetorically.
“If the crack of your buttocks is showing, that’s different than just your underwear showing,” he said.
O’Bannon said people were “offended by a fashion statement” when the law was originally adopted and have since reconsidered the measure.
Other cities with saggy pants ordinances in Mississippi include Corinth, Ripley, Columbus, Saltillo and Guntown.
The American Civil Liberties Union has come out against a proposed ban on saggy pants in Hinds County claiming it unfairly targets black men and is an unconstitutional restriction on free expression.
The practice of letting one’s pants hang low is called sagging and those who practice it are called saggers.
Greenwood is still in the earliest stages of considering an ordinance here. The City Council placed the idea on its study agenda on July 18.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
