Don't mess with La Marque?

It may not sound as catchy as the ubiquitous Don't Mess With Texas slogan, but La Marque nonetheless now means business when it comes to litterbugs.

Starting Sunday, if you get caught tossing a Snickers wrapper out your car window or discarding a McDonald's bag on the curb, there's a good chance you'll go to jail.

The new get-tough policy aims to cut violent crime in La Marque by eliminating the petty crimes, Police Chief Randall Aragon said.

"When you take care of the little things, the big things start falling in place," Aragon said.

Officers will not be staking out street corners looking for litterers. But if they do see someone throwing out trash they have been instructed to use a "pro-arrest policy."

The law allows for officers' discretion to arrest and cite people with Class C misdemeanor charges — the lowest level of littering.

Exceptions will be made for extenuating circumstances.

For example, if a disabled resident drops a water bottle, they will likely only receive a citation. Same goes for an

elderly citizen, or a parent on their way to pick up children, Aragon said. Fines are about $300 for littering in La Marque.

Arresting someone for petty littering is a bit extreme for Galveston Police Department Captain Jeff Heyse's tastes. However, sometimes the situation may call for it.

"For throwing out a cigarette butt or Styrofoam cup, no I wouldn't arrest them," Heyse said. "But if they dump three weeks' worth of trash, then I'd probably arrest. It's really situational, and there are a lot of things an officer has to look at."

In Houston, littering violations rarely result in arrests, said Houston Police Department spokesman Victor Senties.

In the last six months there has only been one citation given out for littering in La Marque, despite litter on many roadsides throughout the city.

"This is something they are accustomed to," Aragon said. "They have been doing it for 10 years. Their mothers did it, their fathers did it. They don't think it's anything wrong."

'Wonderful' or 'Too harsh'

Locals have mixed reactions to the new policy. One La Marque resident who has lived there for years said it was a relief, and would like to see more aggressive policies.

"I think it's absolutely wonderful," said Margaret Little, 67. "It will clean up our city. This is long overdue."

Critics say it is a misuse of police resources, or too extreme for a little littering.

"Taking someone to jail before even offering them a ticket? That's wrong," said Cynthia Daniel, 54, who attends church in La Marque. "It's too harsh, and not fair."

Police departments will never please everybody, Heyse said.

"There's no black and white in our job," Heyse said. "If La Marque has a huge littering problem, that may be necessary. Whatever they do, I hope it works for them."

The new policy is part of a community cleanup and was influenced by crime reduction methods used in New York City.

"It's really not even about littering," Aragon said. "A clean city is a safe city."

matthew.woolbright@chron.com