Wiggins ban on saggy pants begins September 1 | Crime

Wiggins Board of Aldermen voted for a new ordinance that will keep people in Wiggins from sagging their pants.

“I really didn’t push for it until I had an incident happen in front of my wife and kids and that was really the straw that broke the camel’s back. I was just fed up with it,” Wiggins Board of Alderman Derrick Gates said.

A year ago, Gates said, he asked about what could be done to keep people in public areas from letting their underwear show.

“I asked my police chief what we needed to do about indecency with the underwear showing, whether it’s a guy with his boxers showing or a female with her thong showing. He told me there was an ordinance cities were adopting that would allow them to ticket indecency violations,” Gates said.

After looking over several ordinances from different cities, Gates said, the board of aldermen and city attorney Rebecca Taylor created the public indecency ordinance in Wiggins. It passed 5-0 on July 17.

Starting September 1, 2012 the new rule will take into effect. Anyone violating the ordinance could be ticketed no less than $50 for the first offense and no more than $200 for a subsequent offense. In addition to the fine, the Wiggins Municipal Court may order someone to participate in up to 40 hours of court approved community service activities. Violators will be subject to arrest or imprisonment for violation of this section; however, the Wiggins Municipal Court shall have full authority to enforce its orders.

Below is the ordinance prohibiting public indecency:

It shall be unlawful for any person to willfully perform any of the following acts in a place where as person should reasonable expect to be in view of the public:

1. An act or simulated act of sexual intercourse or masturbation
2. Exposure of the genitals
3. A lewd appearance in the state of partial or complete nudity;
4. A lewd caress or indecent fondling of the body of another person;
5. A lewd caress or indecent fondling of the sexual organs or any person, including oneself
6. Urination or defecation; or
7. Appear wearing pants, shorts or skirts more than three inches below the top of the hips (crest of the Ilium) exposing the skin or undergarments.