Fines

Environmental crime" has never had a positive ring to it. The vast oil spill from the tanker Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound that polluted the water and killed thousands of animals in 1989 resulted in millions in criminal fines. London-based BP PLC, one of the largest international oil companies, recently agreed to admit to criminal wrongdoing and to accept probation in a settlement of environmental allegations. It also is paying $70 million in fines. The death toll this time involved people.

The Canadian truck driver whose improperly loaded rig knocked a Beltway footbridge down onto three cars -- killing one person, badly injuring three others and blocking Baltimore's main commuter artery for 12 hours -- has been issued four citations that could result in $880 in fines.Paul C. McIntosh, 23, of Brussels, Ontario, was given these citations: His truck was wider and higher than allowed, lacked mandatory shocks and lights, and damaged the highway. Three of the violations carry fines of $120 each, and the fourth a $520 fine.

Every time Lisa and Tim Napoli read the police report, they get angrier.Within its 29 neatly typed pages is the story of how their 19-year-old son, Michael, was killed April 24 when his car was struck head-on in Harford County by a car driven by a 16-year-old.Out of their grief -- and their frustration that no criminal charges have been filed -- they have begun a campaign to ensure that someone is held accountable for their son's death.In doing so, they have trained a spotlight on a problem familiar to prosecutors statewide: How to balance a grieving family's desire for justice against state laws that make it difficult to bring charges, particularly when drugs and alcohol aren't involved.

Baltimore County police will begin enforcing a new law next month requiring homeowners to register their alarm systems -- and to pay fines for repeated false alarms, authorities said yesterday.Starting July 1, homeowners whose systems produce repeated false alarms face the possibility of fines that escalate from $50 to $1,000, county police said. Businesses have been covered by the law since December, leading to a decrease in false alarms and an increase in false-alarm calls that were canceled before police arrived.

A North Laurel family appeared before the Howard County Animal Hearing Board last night and disputed charges by residents that its four dogs have been tormenting the neighborhood.At a public hearing in the George Howard Building in Ellicott City, Vincent Gibson told the board that he has never seen his dogs physically attack anyone."These dogs would never hurt anyone," Gibson said. "They are good dogs."Neighbors told the board another story. They said they have seen the dogs chasing residents in an aggressive and menacing manner.

The Carroll County liquor board has fined establishments in Westminster and Taneytown for selling beer to an underage police cadet in December.The House of Liquors in Carroll Plaza Shopping Center was fined $500, but half of the amount was suspended because the store has a good record in trying to curtail the sale of alcoholic beverages to underage patrons, the three-member Board of License Commissioners said in a written decision.The liquor board, which held violation hearings for both offenders on Jan. 12, imposed a $350 fine on Taneytown Exxon in the 200 block of E. Baltimore St. The panel suspended $100 of the fine, saying the business has done an admirable job in curtailing underage sales.

False alarms are ringing at a record pace again in Baltimore County.But county police hope a proposed law that would impose a stiff fine for multiple accidental false alarms will reverse the trend.During this fiscal year, police expect accidental false alarms -- which can be caused by wind, rain, birds and electrical malfunctions -- to increase by about 8 percent, to 83,000. That upsets police officials, who worry about the time that officers spend answering such calls.Last fiscal year, Baltimore County police answered about 77,000 false alarms.

Baltimore County dropped yesterday $1 million in housing code fines levied against the owner of the condemned Riverdale Apartments in Essex, saying the county did not give the owner formal notice to fix the problems before issuing the violations.But the county is pressing ahead with $510,600 in fines pending against Florida real estate mogul Richard M. Schlesinger, whose corporation owns half the 1,140-unit complex in the 1900 block of Eastern Boulevard.The county's decision to drop the fines was made public in a legal brief by Douglas N. Silber, assistant county attorney, submitted at a hearing of the county Board of Appeals yesterday.

A Baltimore County panel has upheld a $277,200 fine on the owner of the now-abandoned Riverdale apartment complex in Essex -- the largest civil fine imposed by the county in recent history, officials said.County officials aren't expecting a check in the mail from Florida real estate mogul Richard Schlesinger's company, which still owes more than $600,000 in utility bills, a debt that prompted a monthlong evacuation of more than 400 residents in June.But they say they are more interested in getting possession of the property and redeveloping the 35 acres in the 1800 and 1900 blocks of Eastern Ave."

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court agreed yesterday to rule on the government's power to impose fines and then bring criminal charges against those who break federal regulatory rules.Three Oklahoma bankers claimed in their appeal that this amounts to double punishment for the same misconduct, a violation of the Constitution's ban on "double jeopardy."In recent years, the court has ruled repeatedly on claims of double punishment, but still has not spelled out clearly how far government agencies may go in using both civil fines and criminal punishment in tandem to get at wrongdoers.

Each day, the District Court at 700 E. Patapsco St. has a roomful of parking ticket culprits who feel they are not guilty, or cannot afford the fines and penalties, or are gambling on the officer not showing up (so they win by default). About a dozen enforcement officers spend one to two hours to see that justice is done. The judge (with a $127,252 salary) is supported by two clerks and two bailiffs (the latter costing $35,000 a year each). Some judges are in good moods, some not; this is generally the least-desired of judicial assignments.

When Baltimore's liquor board commissioners were sworn into office in April 2007, they took over an agency reeling from threats, lawsuits and internal backbiting. Charged by Gov. Martin O'Malley with restoring public trust, the three-member panel has virtually cut out the infighting. But some observers argue that the commissioners have also taken a heavy-handed approach to their oversight responsibilities, dishing out substantial fines and suspensions and revoking more licenses than is necessary.

When the smoke finally cleared Wednesday on the brouhaha over the officiating in the Ravens-New England Patriots game, the Ravens got a measure of vindication, if not exactly the last word. There will be no fines, which is a point for the Ravens. Neither will there be any I-told-you-so's, which is coach John Harbaugh's way of ensuring a truce with the officials. "It was back and forth," Harbaugh said of a two-day dialogue with NFL officials. "They confirmed everything, and we're not allowed to talk about any of that stuff.

For years, the only way Baltimore code enforcers could prod property owners to fix problems - if asking didn't work - was taking them to court. Now the city can slap them with a fine. And it intends to. "We're going to be increasingly relying on citations for enforcement," said Michael Braverman, the city's deputy commissioner for permits and code enforcement. "We want the message to get out: Respond to the violation notice. Don't think about waiting for a summons to appear in District Court.

As Anne Arundel County joins the many local governments that levy fines for repeated false alarms, the county is giving homeowners and businesses a grace period until at least January. The law cracking down on false alarms took effect this month. But the county does not expect to have a company in place to run the program until January. "There are going to be no penalties until a vendor is in place," said spokesman Justin Mulcahy. "Enforcement will be in January." The law goes after repeated false alarms.

Local students up for award Two local high school students were selected as finalists in a nationwide epidemiology contest, and both will learn Monday whether they will receive a $50,000 college scholarship. Jason Bishai, Hannah Bands and 10 others are competing for the grand prize in the Young Epidemiology Scholars competition, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The students have already won $15,000 scholarships for becoming finalists. They could win further scholarships of $35,000 and $20,000.

About 100 dog owners gathered Thursday night at Riverside Park Pavilion in Federal Hill to protest the $1,000 fines for owners who allow their animals outside without a leash. Animal control officers began issuing the costly citations this month. The amount is 10 times the previous fine for first-time offenders. City Councilman Edward L. Reisinger held an open forum where he and Councilman William H. Cole IV listened to dozens of dog owners, who called the new fines "excessive" while arguing for off-leash early-morning hours in city parks.

Automated cameras that result in $40 citations for owners of vehicles caught speeding could be coming to many parts of Maryland under a plan that surfaced Tuesday in the state Senate and appears likely to become law. Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley has been seeking a statewide expansion of speed cameras, which generated nearly $10 million in fines last year through a pilot program in Montgomery County, the only jurisdiction where they are now allowed....

Senior executives at the investment firm Ferris Baker Watts were warned numerous times over three years that one of their employees was manipulating stock prices and trading money from the accounts of unwary customers, but didn't rein in the illegal scheme and even allowed it to widen, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ending its long-running investigation into the trading scandal at the Baltimore brokerage, the SEC fined Ferris $500,000 and ordered it to return another $300,000 in ill-gotten gains and interest.

Maryland moved a step closer yesterday to policing pollution from the Eastern Shore's poultry industry, proposing to subject about 200 of the state's largest chicken farmers to scrutiny - and potential fines - for how they store and use the mountains of manure their birds produce. State officials say the rules, if given final approval, would govern handling of about 50 percent of the manure produced by Maryland chicken farms. Manure is a major source of Chesapeake Bay pollution, washing off fields where it is spread as fertilizer for crops.