Posts tagged "Misdemeanor charge"

Criminal charges, regardless of the level of severity, can be damaging to a person's personal and professional life, as well as stressful. It is far more likely that a Portland resident will face a misdemeanor-level charge than a felony-level. However, for many people, misdemeanors can cause many of the same problems a felony would cause. One of the most common causes of a misdemeanor charge is a driving-related offense.

Oregon police are responsible for investigating and stopping all sorts of criminal behavior. While some of this work is done away from the public eye, much of the police's actions can be seen by those near the supposed crime scene. While police are carrying out their job, police expect that Oregon citizen will not interfere with their work. If an Oregon resident does interrupt a police investigation that person could face criminal charges -- even if the person was not involved in the original incident.

In an effort to clean up the streets of Portland, reports say that police officers have been wrongfully charging some citizens with crimes. Under a new initiative -- called the Chronic Offender Pilot Program -- people were subject to Class A misdemeanor charges if they were caught littering, drinking from an open container or urinating in public. Under the program, officers would give written warnings for the first offense, then place someone under arrest for interfering with an officer for a second offense.

A lot of people's conduct in Oregon is regulated by a series of laws created by the state legislature. While people are aware of major felonies, misdemeanor charges can be more obscure -- especially new laws. One area of people's lives that is particularly regulated is driving. There are traffic rules dictating, who can drive, how fast people can drive and what people can do while driving l in Oregon law books. If people break these rules -- either intentionally or unintentionally -- they can be hit with a traffic violation.