Disorderly Conduct

A person can be found guilty of disorderly conduct in the state of Connecticut when such person intends to inconvenience, annoy, or alarm another person by:

• Engaging in fighting or in violent, tumultuous or threatening behavior.
• Using offensive or disorderly conduct.
• Annoying or interfering with another person.
• Making unreasonable noise.
• Without lawful authority, disturbing any lawful assembly or meeting of persons.
• Obstructing vehicular or pedestrian traffic.
• Congregating with other persons in a public place and refusing to comply with a reasonable official request to disperse.
• Committing a simple trespass and observing another person inside a dwelling without their consent. Also, in this case, there must exist a reasonable expectation of privacy for the victim for this to constitute disorderly conduct.

Fast Facts About Disorderly Conduct

• If the state tries to convict you of disorderly conduct based on what you said, they have to prove that you used “fighting words” as defined by the law (34 Conn. Supp. 689).
• Disorderly conduct means grossly offensive conduct, under contemporary community standards (228 Conn. 795).
• Another person must witness disorderly conduct based upon words or gestures (228 Conn. 795).

Also, disorderly conduct has found a person guilty of demonstrations (83 Conn. App. 724).

Interfering with an Officer

Interfering with an officer 53a-167a

A person is guilty of interfering with an officer in the state of Connecticut when such person obstructs, resists, hinders, or endangers any peace officer, special policeman, motor vehicle inspector, or firefighter in the performance of such peace officer’s, special policeman’s, motor vehicle inspector’s or firefighter’s duties.

Also, interfering with an officer is a class A misdemeanor unless the violation of the statute causes the death or serious physical injury of another person. If that occurs such person shall be guilty of a Class D felony.

Interfering with a Search Warrant

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 54-33d. Interference with Search

Any person who forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates, or interferes with any person authorized to serve or execute search warrants or to make searches and seizures while engaged in the performance of their duties with regard thereto or on account of the performance of such duties, shall receive a fine not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year or both; and any person who in committing any violation of this section uses any deadly or dangerous weapon shall face a fine not more than ten thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than 10 years or both.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 54-33e. Destruction of Property

Any person who, before, during or after seizure of any property by any police officer authorized to make searches and seizures, in order to prevent the seizure or securing of any property named in the warrant by such police officer, breaks, destroys, or removes or causes the breaking, destruction or removal of the same, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year or both.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 54-33n. Search of School Lockers and Property.

All local and regional boards of education and all private elementary and secondary schools may authorize the search by school or law enforcement officials of lockers and other school property available for use by students for the presence of weapons, contraband or the fruits of a crime if (1) the search is justified at its inception and (2) the search as actually conducted is reasonably related in scope to the circumstances which justified the interference in the first place.

Also, a search is justified at its inception when there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that the search will turn up evidence that the student has violated or is violating either the law or the rules of the school. A search is reasonably related in scope when the measures adopted are reasonably related to the objectives of the search and not excessively intrusive in light of the age and sex of the student and the nature of the infraction.