Jonesboro may be the next city in the Atlanta area to ban sagging pants.
The Jonesboro City Council will have a public hearing on a sagging pants ordinance at a work session at the Jonesboro Police Department at 6 p.m. Monday.
Jonesboro Mayor Luther Maddox said he's spoken with Hampton City Manager Andy Pippin and hopes to make an amendment to the disorderly conduct ordinance that will address sagging pants.
"It really hasn't gotten out of hand yet, but we want to stay ahead of the curve and support kids wearing pants on their waists," said Maddox.
"We don't want kids to expose themselves like that in public."
A vote on the proposed ordinance could be held Aug. 8.
A copy of the amendment indicates violators could be charged with disorderly conduct if they appear in a public place, or even in view of the public, wearing sagging pants, shorts, or a skirt more that three inches below the hips and expose skin, undergarments or underwear.
The amendment says police officers can give a verbal warning. If an offender refuses to pull up his pants, the officer can then charge the person with disorderly conduct.
Offenders will be ticketed. A fine amount is not specified.
On July 22, the city of Hampton implemented a similar ordinance.
Sagging pants has been a reoccurring issue for law enforcement. It became a fashion trend in the 1990s for males to expose their underwear or bare skin in public. The practice allegedly originated in the prison system, where belts were prohibited to prevent suicide attempts.
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