City of Eugene v. Kruk

875 P.2d 1190, 128 Or. App. 415, 1994 Ore. App. LEXIS 909
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedJune 8, 1994
Docket91-50006; CA A71272
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 875 P.2d 1190 (City of Eugene v. Kruk) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Eugene v. Kruk, 875 P.2d 1190, 128 Or. App. 415, 1994 Ore. App. LEXIS 909 (Or. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

*417 LANDAU, J.

Defendant appeals her conviction under Eugene Municipal Code § 4.907 (EC § 4.907), which prohibits conduct that interferes with a police officer’s lawful performance of a duty. We reversed the conviction on the ground that the ordinance was preempted by state law. City of Eugene v. Kruk, 115 Or App 494, 839 P2d 250 (1992). On review, the Supreme Court vacated our opinion and remanded for reconsideration in the light of City of Portland v. Jackson, 316 Or 143, 850 P2d 1093 (1993). City of Eugene v. Kruk, 316 Or 436, 851 P2d 1140 (1993). On reconsideration, we again reverse.

Plaintiff City of Eugene (the city) charged defendant with violating EC § 4.907. Defendant demurred, arguing that the facts alleged in the complaint failed to constitute an offense, because EC § 4.907 is unconstitutional on its face under Article XI, section 2, of the Oregon Constitution, which prohibits local governments from enacting legislation that conflicts with state criminal laws. 1 City of Portland v. Jackson, supra, 316 Or at 146. According to defendant, EC § 4.907 conflicts with ORS 162.235 and ORS 162.315. The trial court overruled her demurrer. On appeal, defendant assigns error to the trial court’s decision.

In Jackson, the Supreme Court summarized the proper procedure for determining whether an ordinance is invalid under Article XI, section 2:

“[W]e first must examine the ordinance and statutes that the parties claim are in conflict. Next, we determine what conduct the ordinance prohibits. Third, we look to see whether the applicable statute or statutes permit that conduct, either by an express legislative decision, by a decision apparent in the legislative history, or otherwise. If the ordinance prohibits conduct that the statute permits, the laws are in conflict and the ordinance is displaced under Article XI, section 2.” 316 Or at 151.

We proceed, then, with an examination of defendant’s challenge in accordance with the three steps described in Jackson.

*418 We begin with the texts of the ordinance and the relevant statutes. EC § 4.907 generally prohibits any interference with a police officer in the lawful performance of duties, if the conduct was done intentionally to interfere or with reckless disregard for its interference:

“It shall be unlawful for any person, intentionally or with reckless disregard thereof, to interfere with a police officer in the officer’s lawful performance of his or her duties. To interfere with as used in this section shall mean any physical act, including a refusal to leave a particular area in response to a lawful order from a police officer, that prevents or could reasonably be expected to prevent a police officer from performing his or her duties.” EC § 4.907.

Under ORS 162.235, certain conduct is unlawful if it is intentionally done to interfere wdth the administration of any governmental or judicial function, other than the making of an arrest. It provides, in part:

“(1) A person commits the crime of obstructing governmental or judicial administration if the person intentionally obstructs, impairs or hinders the administration of law or other governmental or judicial function by means of intimidation, force, physical or economic interference or obstacle.
“(2) This section shall not apply to the obstruction of unlawful governmental or judicial action or interference with the making of an arrest.”

Under ORS 162.315, intentional resistance to arrest is unlawful if the actor knows that the person resisted is a peace officer making an arrest. It provides, in part:

“(1) A person commits the crime of resisting arrest if the person intentionally resists a person known by the person to be a peace officer in making an arrest.
“(2) ‘Resists,’ as used in this section, means the use or threatened use of violence, physical force or any other means that creates a substantial risk of physical injury to any person and includes behavior clearly intended to prevent being taken into custody by overcoming the actions of the arresting officer. The behavior does not have to result in actual physical injury to the arresting officer. Passive resistance does not constitute behavior intended to prevent being taken into custody.
“(3) It is no defense to a prosecution under this section that the peace officer lacked legal authority to make the *419 arrest, provided the peace officer was acting under color of official authority.”

The statute applies to a person who resists the arrest of another, as well as to a person who resists his or her own arrest. State v. Brandon, 35 Or App 661, 663, 582 P2d 52, rev den 284 Or 235 (1978).

In accordance with Jackson, we determine what conduct EC § 4.907 prohibits. By its terms, the ordinance makes unlawful “any physical act * * * that prevents or could reasonably be expected to prevent a police officer from performing his or her duties.” The forbidden conduct can be either active or passive, because the ordinance expressly includes a prohibition against any “refusal to leave a particular area in response to a lawful order from a police officer.”

Finally, we determine whether ORS 162.235 or ORS 162.315 permits conduct that EC § 4.907 prohibits. The Supreme Court explained that statutory permission may be found in the express language of the statute, or it may be “apparent in the legislative history, or otherwise.” 316 Or at 151. In this case, we conclude that both the text and the legislative history of the relevant statutes reflect an unmistakable intent to permit what EC § 4.907 prohibits.

ORS 162.235, enacted in 1971, provides that the crime of obstructing governmental or judicial administration does not apply to interference with the making of an arrest. The commentary to the Proposed Oregon Criminal Code of 1971 explains that ORS 162.235

“requires that the prohibited conduct be manifested by threats, violence or physical interference, a limitation that recognizes certain constitutional safeguards, e.g., freedom of speech and assembly.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
875 P.2d 1190, 128 Or. App. 415, 1994 Ore. App. LEXIS 909, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-eugene-v-kruk-orctapp-1994.