8-4-060 Vandalism defined.

   It shall be unlawful for any person to commit vandalism. A person commits vandalism when such person, without proper authorization, engages in the willful or malicious destruction, injury, disfigurement or defacement of any public or private property. Vandalism includes, but is not limited to, any act of cutting, tearing, breaking, marking, drawing, painting or etching when such act is intended to damage property or has the effect of causing damage to property.

   Any person who violates this section, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $1,500.00 nor more than $2.500.00 for each offense, plus the actual costs incurred by the property owner or the city to abate, remediate, repair or remove the effects of the vandalism. To the extent permitted by law, such costs shall be payable to the person who incurred the costs. In addition to such fine and costs, any such offense may also be punished as a misdemeanor by incarceration in a penal institution other than a penitentiary for a term of up to 30 days, or by a requirement to perform up to 1,500 hours of community service, under the procedures set forth in Section 1-2-1.1 of the Illinois Municipal Code, as amended, and in the Illinois Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963, as amended. All actions seeking the imposition of fines only shall be filed as quasi-criminal actions subject to the provisions of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure, as amended.

(Prior code § 193-1.5; Amend Coun. J. 10-6-86, p. 34526; Amend Coun. J. 5-16-90, p. 15806; Amend Coun. J. 6-12-91, p. 1718; Amend Coun. J. 5-19-93, p. 32392; Amend Coun. J. 5-20-98, p. 69305; Amend Coun. J. 5-11-05, p. 48079, § 3; Amend Coun. J. 7-30-14, p. 85776, § 1)

8-4-061 Disposition of certain fines.

   In all instances in which the fine set forth in Section 8-4-060 of the code is imposed by the city's department of administrative hearings for destruction, injury, disfigurement or other defacement of Chicago Transit Authority property, one-half of any such fine imposed and collected shall be made available to the Chicago Transit Authority for use in removing graffiti and other defacement of Chicago Transit Authority property.

(Added Coun. J. 7-29-98, p. 74138)

8-4-065 Interference with utility equipment.

   (a)   When used in this section, "utility equipment" means any of the following located in a public way: (1) any lid, grate, screen or cover that allows access to any sewer, drain, electrical vault, coal hole, water vault, gas vault, tunnel or other opening or structure in the public way, or that allows the flow of water from the public way into a drain or sewer; (2) any light pole, lamp post, telephone or telegraph pole, or post or pole supporting electrical transformers or lines for transmission of electricity or cable television signals. "Utility equipment" may be either privately or publicly owned.

   (b)   No person shall:

      (1)   Intentionally and without authorization of the owner, remove utility equipment or damage or alter utility equipment so as to diminish its effectiveness or to create a public safety hazard;

      (2)   Without authorization of the actual owner, purchase, receive or possess illegally removed utility equipment. It is a defense to a prosecution under this subsection (b)(2) that the person charged with a violation did not know that the subject utility equipment was illegally removed;

      (3)   Assist any other person in any action prohibited in subsection (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this section.

   (c)   Any person who violates any provision of subsection (b) of this section shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than $1,000.00. Any such offense may also be punished as a misdemeanor by incarceration in a penal institution other than a penitentiary for a term of up to six months or by a requirement to perform up to 1,000 hours of community service under the procedures set forth in Section 1-2-1.1 of the Illinois Municipal Code, as amended, and in the Illinois Code of Criminal Procedure, as amended, in a separate proceeding. All actions seeking the imposition of fines only shall be filed as quasi-criminal actions subject to the provisions of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure, as amended.

(Added Coun. J. 4-22-93, p. 31576; Amend Coun. J. 4-12-00, p. 29744, § 1)

8-4-070 Responsibility of parent or legal guardian.

   (a)   As used in this section, the terms specified have the meanings ascribed to them:

   "Legal Guardian" means:

      (i)   A person who, under court order, is the guardian of the person of a minor, or

      (ii)    A public or private agency with whom a minor has been placed by a court.

   "Minor" means a person who is 11 years of age or above, but not yet 17 years of age.

   (b)   If a minor engages in conduct that violates any provision of Sections 8-4-060 or 8-4-065, and such minor is unemancipated and resides with his parent or legal guardian, such parent or legal guardian shall be subject to the penalties set forth below:

      (i)   a fine of not less than $250 nor more than $1.000.00 or payment of restitution in the amount of the actual costs incurred to abate, remediate, repair or remove the effects of the vandalism if such action is performed by the city, whichever is greater, or

      (ii)   a fine of not less than $250 nor more than $1.000.00 and payment of restitution in the amount of the actual costs incurred by the property owner to abate, remediate, repair or remove the effects of the vandalism if such action is not performed by the city.

   Provided, however, that no order imposing a fine and/or restitution under this section shall exceed $3,000 in the aggregate. Community service may be imposed in lieu of, or in addition to, the monetary fines provided by this section. Such parent or legal guardian shall be strictly liable under this section regardless of whether the parent or legal guardian has actual knowledge of the minor's unlawful conduct.

(Prior code § 193-1.6; Amend Coun. J. 5-16-90, p. 15806; Amend Coun. J. 4-22-93, p. 31576; Amend Coun. J. 7-19-07, p. 4733, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 7-30-14, p. 85776, § 2)

8-4-075 Threatening a community policing volunteer.

   (a)   It shall be unlawful to knowingly deliver or convey to a community policing volunteer, in person, by mail, by telephone or in any other manner, a threat to inflict bodily harm upon the community policing volunteer or a member of his or her immediate family (1) with the intent to cause the community policing volunteer to perform or omit the performance of any act as a community policing volunteer; or (2) in retaliation for the community policing volunteer performing or omitting any act as a community policing volunteer.

   (b)   For purposes of this section, "community policing volunteer" means a person performing any work or duties that are prescribed by, guided by, or directed by members of the Chicago Police Department as part of Chicago's Alternative Policing Strategy (C.A.P.S.).

   (c)   Any person who violates this section shall be fined $200.00 and incarcerated up to 30 days for a first offense; fined $400.00 and incarcerated up to 90 days for a second offense; and fined $500.00 and incarcerated up to six months for a third or subsequent offense. Any person violating this provision shall also be required to perform 200 hours of community service. If supervision or probation is imposed, service of the aforementioned community service shall be a condition of supervision or probation.

(Added Coun. J. 4-1-98, p. 65276)

8-4-076 Assault against emergency workers.

   (a)   For the purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

   "Battery" has the meaning ascribed to the term in Section 12-3 of the Illinois Criminal Code, codified at 720 ILCS 5/12-3.

   "Covered person" means any peace officer, fireman, emergency management worker or emergency medical services personnel.

   "Emergency management worker" means:

      (1)   any person, paid or unpaid, who is a member of a local or county emergency services and disaster agency as defined by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, codified at 20 ILCS 3305/1, et seq., or who is an employee of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency or the Federal Emergency Management Agency; or

      (2)   any employee or volunteer of the American Red Cross; or

      (3)   any employee of a federal, State, county, or local government agency assisting an emergency services and disaster agency, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency through mutual aid or as otherwise requested or directed in time of disaster or emergency; or

      (4)   any person volunteering or directed to assist an emergency services and disaster agency, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

   "Emergency medical services personnel" means any person licensed as an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) (First Responder), Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate (EMT-I), Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (A-EMT), Paramedic (EMT-P), Emergency Communications Registered Nurse (ECRN), Pre-Hospital Registered Nurse (PHRN), Pre-Hospital Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (PHAPRN), or Pre-Hospital Physician Assistant (PHPA).

   "Fireman" means any person who was, is, or shall be employed by a unit of local government in its fire service as a fireman, fire paramedic, fire engineer, marine engineer, or fire pilot, and whose duty is to participate in the work of controlling and extinguishing fire at the location of any such fire, whether or not such person is assigned to fire service other than the actual extinguishing of fire.

   "Peace officer" means any person who by virtue of the person's office or public employment is vested by law with a duty to maintain public order or to make arrests for offenses, whether that duty extends to all offenses or is limited to specific offenses.

   (b)   There is hereby created the offense of assault against a covered person. A person commits assault against a covered person when such person engages in conduct in the City which places a covered person in reasonable apprehension of receiving a battery. Any person who violates this section shall be fined not less than $500 nor more than $1,000, or be incarcerated for not less than 90 days nor more than 180 days, or both.

(Added Coun. J. 2-1-23, p. 60491, § 2)

8-4-077 Assault against City employees, officials, and contractors with enforcement authority.

   (a)   For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

   “Battery” has the meaning ascribed to the term in Section 12-3 of the Illinois Criminal Code, codified at 720 ILCS 5/12-3.

   “Covered person” means any City employee official, or contractor with enforcement authority, excluding any peace officer as defined in Section 8-4-076.

   “Enforcement authority” means the authority to investigate violations of, or to issue tickets, citations, notices of violation for, or to otherwise enforce, any provision of this Code.

   (b)   There is hereby created the offense of assault against a covered person. A person commits assault against a covered person when such person engages in conduct in the City which places a covered person in reasonable apprehension of receiving a battery: (1) with the intent to cause the covered person to exercise enforcement authority or to prevent the covered person from exercising enforcement authority; or (2) in retaliation for the covered person exercising or not exercising enforcement authority. Any person who violates this section shall be fined not less than $500 nor more than $1,000, or be incarcerated for not less than 90 days nor more than 180 days, or both.

(Added Coun. J. 11-15-23, p. 7173, § 1)