An Overview Of Demonstration And Protest Statutes

Jul 1, 2008 3:58 PM

The Security Executive Council (SEC) now offers compilations of state-specific statutes for preventing illegal or dangerous behavior during protests, demonstrations, picketing situations and labor disruptions.

Certain activities that may occur during demonstrations, picketing situations or labor disruptions are deemed illegal under various state statutes, and each state deals with such activities differently. Corporations that need to know how their state defines and regulates activities ranging from assault, sabotage and terrorist threats to disorderly conduct and civil disorder usually have to search through public records from numerous sources to find all the applicable information to help them keep legal protests safe.

The Security Executive Council has done that research for corporations. The council scoured public records and official sources, including state criminal codes and laws and state legislative Web sites, to compile Selected Public Statutes for nine states. The rest of the 41 states are being developed, and 10 more are being finalized for release. Each state-specific compilation is a planning resource to help corporations define and avoid unacceptable behavior in potentially volatile situations.

These extensive lists of public statutes provide information on more than 80 categories of behavior that may arise during legal or illegal protests and demonstrations. The lists are broken down by section and article, and each book includes a clear and alphabetized table of contents to help users navigate to statutes that apply to a specific situation. Selected Public Statutes can serve as a starting point for planning the response to events where these statutes may be enforced. They can also be used in awareness programs, shared in discussions with event organizers, security colleagues and law enforcement, and for research to support programs.

Selected Public Statutes for Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Carolina are available in the SEC store for $100 per book, or for $375 for a bundle of five. Click here for details. To vote for which states you would like to see next, write to contact@secleader.com.

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