Regulations Regarding Crowd Dispersal

Crowd Dispersal Limitations

As the people of Earth have long suffered grievous oppression from tyranny under the pretext of crowd dispersal;

As in countries throughout the world, public officers have repeatedly fired rounds into public crowds including crowds with small children;

As public officers have repeatedly selected civic leaders for close range firing of less-lethal weapons, thereby greatly enhancing the likelihood of permanent injury and death to the civic leaders and to others near the line of fire;

As public officers have repeatedly herded or corralled demonstrators, often conducting the demonstrators into unsafe positions such as busy thoroughfares, or otherwise physically pressed demonstrators into close quarters that are unsafe for peoples’ free movement.

This thirteenth session of the Provisional World Parliament hereby regulates police conduct relating to crowd dispersal.

• This Act applies to the Earth Federation and all nations and governmental subdivisions of Earth, including to all public security employees. This act also applies to private corporations that contract security services to governments and to all employees of private security firms that have contracts for security services to government. Under the Earth Constitution, militaries are vestigial only and martial law is vestigial only. For simplicity in this act, police officers and police means any of the following, unless specified otherwise:
  • Any military officer;
  • Any person enlisted to military;
  • Any public police officer at any level of government;
  • Any officer of any private security firm;
  • Any reservist called to action; and 1.6. Any person deputized by the aforementioned persons.

• This Act prohibits police from effecting crowd dispersal from public properties and from easements adjoining public properties.

• Police must not fire into crowds, whether bullets are metal, rubber, plastic or otherwise.

• Concussives are instruments of defense that produce a pressure wave, whether audible or inaudible. Concussives include all acoustical weapons.

• Police must not use tear gas, other chemical weapons or concussives in general dispersal on crowds. Throwing or mortar launch of tear gas, other chemical weapons or concussives is prohibited. At crowds, police may carry and use tear gas or mild irritants exclusively in hand for self-defense or for defense of civilians (that is, not under orders to discharge).

• In the case of armed military forces and armed paramilitary forces operating from public properties or easements adjoining public properties, police officers may take steps to identify the forces and the individuals comprising the forces. Police may seek warrants for arrest. Police may arrest persons for cause on public properties or public easements without warrant, if in the officer’s judgment a misdemeanor or felony is being committed or was committed by the person being arrested.

Attested, Eugenia Almand, JD, Provisional World Parliament