ACLU protests proposed Cedar Rapids parental responsibility ordinance

The American Civil Liberties Union is protesting Cedar Rapids Police Chief Greg Graham's proposed parental responsibility ordinance.

The ACLU of Iowa sent Chief Graham a letter Friday, discouraging him from pursuing the idea.

On Monday, the Cedar Rapids Public Safety Committee approved drafting the proposed parental responsibility ordinance.  It would require parents of minors who break the law to attend parenting classes or pay a fine. Graham pointed to ordinances in Davenport and St. Louis as models for Cedar Rapids.

Davenport's plan is exactly why the ACLU objects.  The ACLU led a lawsuit that led the Iowa Supreme Court to strike down Davenport's parental responsibility ordinance.  In that case, a Davenport mother argued she took all steps necessary to supervise her 17-year-old son to no avail.  The Iowa Supreme Court ruled the city could not penalize parents unless it could prove the parent's lack of parental control led to the child's crime.

“Parental responsibility ordinances are a seductive idea," said ACLU of Iowa Legal Director Randall Wilson. "We all would like to think that when a kid gets into trouble it's the parents fault and all we have to do is give those parents a legal kick in the rear. But delinquent acts result from peer pressure, immaturity, and a host of other factors not within the control of even the best of parents."