SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane City council is considering a ban on high-pitched tone devices.
A vote on the bill was defered until the council's Feb. 3 meeting.
Council member Kate Burke is proposing the ban.
"This is just an effort to get rid of them and make our downtown experience wonderful and great for everyone," Burke said.
The ordinance defines the system as a "mosquito device," which emits high-frequency sounds only heard by children and young adults.
Burke believes they are discriminatory.
"I'm not saying it is 100 percent one way or the other, but usually it is targeted toward young people," Burke said. "So I find that discriminatory. Why are we saying our young people are causing more harm than anybody else?"
The ordinance would include the system used at the downtown 7-Eleven at Division and Second, which can be heard by any age group.
Last year, the owners told KREM 2 they installed the device as a last resort to deter anyone, not just young adults, from loitering on their property. Since then, they say the number of loiterers improved.
But if the ordinance to ban these devices passes, that could mean going back to square one.
We asked council member Burke if she could suggest alternatives to the mosquito devices.
"I think first and foremost, this isn't a solution, right?" Burke said. "This is just a temporary band aid for a bigger problem. I think there are definitely areas in our community where people have found hanging out a place that's safe. They're hanging out there, and if people do not want them hanging out there then we can have those discussions."
Under the proposed ordinance, first time violators could be fined $130.
The second violation, within a one-year period, would result in a misdemeanor with a max penalty of 90 days in jail or a $1,000 fine.
The ordinance will go before city council for a final vote on Dec. 16.