Photo by AlephNull.

The District has gotten plenty of grief in the last week over news that police officers have been throwing handcuffs on drivers that forgot to renew their registrations.

In response, the D.C. Council will consider emergency legislation proposed by Mayor Vince Gray that would ditch the arrests currently allowed by law and replace them instead with a series of graduated fines, the Post reported on Friday. According to a source who had seen the legislation, a registration that has lapsed for less than 30 days would earn the driver a $100 fine, while anything over 30 days would cost $200 and possible impounding.

The move, to be voted on tomorrow, should make just about everyone happy, except maybe the head of the District’s police union. In a recent opinion piece, Kristopher Baumann spoke out in defense of the practice:

Lost in all of this is the fact that the law in question is long-standing and effective. Hundreds of arrests have occurred over the years (most of them involving D.C. residents) without hue and cry. Such arrests are a valuable tool for tracking down criminals and ensuring compliance with the District’s motor vehicle requirements. If this law is such a travesty, where were Gray’s and Brown’s concerns as ordinary District residents were being arrested?

If the legislation is passed by the Council, it will remain in effect for 90 days while a permanent solution is debated and voted on.