I used to watch the detective drama Cagney & Lacey. It ran on CBS from 1982 to 1988. They dealt with an interesting legal issue in their Season 6, Episode 17 airing Feb. 23, 1987. It was titled "Divine Couriers". A spiritualist, played by Lois Nettleton, was scamming terminal ill patients by paying them to deliver messages after death to people's loved ones. At first there was nothing Cagney and Lacey could do. Then Cagney came up with an interesting solution. They would just harrass her, basically taking the law into their own hands. You walk down the street with your shoe laces untied, and we'll cite you for indecent exposure, she told her. I used to support things like that. But you know, the lady was doing nothing illegal. If a law is needed, it can usually be passed. And if it can't there is usually a good reason for that. In this case, because her actions were protected by the first amendment.
