Zero fines issued for public swearing

MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. (WPRI) -- A Massachusetts town is rethinking a new bylaw that prohibits swearing in public.

In June, the town voted to impose a $20 fine for anyone who uses profanity in public. State law allows towns to enforce local laws that give police the power to arrest anyone who addresses another person with profane or obscene language in a public place.

The town though, has yet to fine anyone since the bylaw was passed over two months ago.

The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office is still determining if the law is constitutional.

According to the Taunton Gazette, the American Civil Liberties Union is asking the town to throw out the ordinance, possibly even before the constitutionality review is complete.