Oconomowoc police chief proposes ordinance cracking down on teen sexting, city council moves to table discussion

 

OCONOMOWOC, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The City of Oconomowoc's police chief is looking to crack down on the number of teens who are sexting.

Under current Wisconsin state law, if a minor is caught sending images or photos with nudity, there are two options.

Officers can either verbally reprimand them, or they can send felony charges to juvenile court, which carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of three years, with a $500-dollar fine per image.

But now a memo from Chief James Pfister is seeking a third option that would still enforce punishment but without the mark on a minor's permanent record.

On Tuesday night, members of the city's common council agreed to table the discussion on the ordinance.

"We just finished the committee meeting with the Protection and Welfare Committee," said Mayor Robert Magnus. "It was a recommendation of that committee that we table this item to do a little further due diligence on the topic."

However, a date for that meeting has not yet been announced.