Enforcing the law would be similar to how officers enforce noise complaints, Gilligan said. If the behavior persists after multiple warnings, that person can face arrest.

Critics of the law – including some local chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union – have pointed to the potential for racial profiling. But Ocala Council member Mary Rich, who wrote the ordinance, said targeting specific groups wasn’t her intention.

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“It doesn’t matter what color they are,” Rich said. “They all wear their pants down.”

Cities across the country – including New Orleans, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Miami and Jacksonville, Fla. – have taken steps to crack down on the baggy pants problem.

Wildwood, a family-friendly town known for its boardwalk on the Jersey shore, banned sagging pants and revealing clothing last summer after complaints from tourists. Fines started at $25 but could add up to $200 as well 40 hours of community service.

“I’m not trying to be the fashion police, but personally I find it offensive when a guy’s butt is hanging out,” Wildwood mayor Ernest Troiana said then.

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Enforcement of the law has faced challenges in courts. A Florida judge struck down an ordinance in another city in 2008 after a 17-year-old boy spent the night in jail for exposing several inches of his underwear exposed. This week, a Pennsylvania judge dismissed a contempt of court citation against an 18-year-old who was arrested under the policy.

The city attorney in Ocala said the law would not be tough to enforce.