| 1 | The Committee on Public Safety & Crime Prevention recommends the |
| 2 | following: |
| 3 |
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| 4 | Committee Substitute |
| 5 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
| 6 | A bill to be entitled |
| 7 | An act relating to neighborhood crime watch programs; |
| 8 | authorizing a county sheriff or municipal police |
| 9 | department to establish neighborhood crime watch programs; |
| 10 | providing for residents and business owners located within |
| 11 | the county or municipality to participate in the program; |
| 12 | prohibiting the harassment of a participant of a |
| 13 | neighborhood crime watch program; providing criminal |
| 14 | penalties; defining the term "harass"; providing an |
| 15 | effective date. |
| 16 |
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| 17 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 18 |
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| 19 | Section 1. Establishment of neighborhood crime watch |
| 20 | programs.--A county sheriff or municipal police department may |
| 21 | establish neighborhood crime watch programs within the county or |
| 22 | municipality. The participants of a neighborhood crime watch |
| 23 | program shall include, but need not be limited to, residents of |
| 24 | the county or municipality and owners of businesses located |
| 25 | within the county or municipality. |
| 26 | Section 2. Harassment of participant of neighborhood crime |
| 27 | watch program prohibited; penalty; definition.-- |
| 28 | (1) It shall be a misdemeanor of the first degree, |
| 29 | punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, for any |
| 30 | person to willfully harass a member of a neighborhood crime |
| 31 | watch program for the purpose of intimidating or retaliating |
| 32 | against the member for his or her participation in a |
| 33 | neighborhood crime watch program. It shall be a misdemeanor of |
| 34 | the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. |
| 35 | 775.083, for a person to harass a member of a neighborhood crime |
| 36 | program while such member is traveling to or from a neighborhood |
| 37 | crime watch meeting, actively participating in a neighborhood |
| 38 | crime watch meeting or activity, or actively participating in an |
| 39 | ongoing criminal investigation, as designated by a law |
| 40 | enforcement officer. |
| 41 | (2) As used in this section, the term "harass" means to |
| 42 | engage in a course of conduct directed at a specific person |
| 43 | which causes substantial emotional distress in that person and |
| 44 | serves no legitimate purpose. |
| 45 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2004. |