Unthinking City Council Advances Electric Fence Ordinance

By Chuck Sudo in News on Dec 8, 2010 3:30PM

We know that City Council has been a rubber stamp for MayDay throughout his time in office. One of the reasons for that is because, whenever they do leave the circle and take a look around, they approve ordinances without much discussion or ordinances that should not have been discussed in the first place.

Need we remind you of the foie gras ban?

Anyway, City Council advanced a proposal by 14th Ward Alderman Ed Burke yesterday that would allow businesses to erect electric fences as a crime deterrent. They're advancing this ordinance over the objections of Fire Department officials who said electric fences would make it harder for them and police to do their jobs. Assistant Deputy Fire Commissioner John McNicholas even went so far as to shock some aldermen with a pen that delivers a fraction of the 7,000-volt jolt that someone would receive if they actually touched an electric fence, which the aldermen basically said, "nice party trick."

McNicholas was equally nonplussed when told that firefighters could be given master keys to shut off power to an electric fence. We ask, what about the children? Or the curious?