BSL in Prince George’s County
The Law
The County Code, Prince George’s County, Md. §3-185.01 (1997)
This ordinance was adopted by the Prince George’s County legislative body in 1997. This policy bans the ownership of “pit bull terriers” in Prince George’s County and establishes criminal sanctions for those who do not comply. The possible biases of these policies include misused statistics that show a decrease in “pit bull” injuries since the implementation of the policy and a widely perpetuated image of this phenotypic category of dogs as inherently violent and dangerous.
In the brochure published by the Prince George’s County Department of Environmental Resources outlining the policies and practices of the Animal Management Division, they state that “All Pit Bulls with expired registrations [not registered before February 3, 1997] are considered illegal and will be impounded, and the owner may be fined or face criminal prosecution. If your registered Pit Bull produces a litter, the puppies are considered illegal and must leave Prince George’s County. Citizens and residents are prohibited by law from selling or giving away Pit Bulls in Prince George’s County.”
As is explained on the “Why BSL Doesn’t Work” page, the manner in which many of these policies, including the one in Prince George’s County, are enforced is actually unconstitutional. The brochure states “Pit Bulls include any and all of the following breed of dogs: Staffordshire Bull Terrier; American Staffordshire Terrier; American Pit Bull Terrier; or dogs that exhibit the characteristics of a Pit Bull more than any other breed of dog.” That last sentence leaves it completely up to the discretion of whoever is enforcing to decide whether or not to confiscate the dog. Apart from this being blatantly discriminatory towards certain dogs simply because of their physical traits, it also violates the owner’s fourteenth amendment right to equal protection and due process as the enforcement because