6.18.10
City Officials Remind Parents Of Summer Curfew
By: Tom Brockman - www.nbc4i.com
Columbus city officials said they're cracking down on children who violate the city's curfew law.

The law was established 36 years ago, but wasn't effectively enforced until 2009. The law said that minors under 13 years of age must be off the streets one hour after sunset and kids 13 to 17 years old must be off the streets by midnight.

On a warm and sunny day, you'd expect to see kids playing outside, but Glenna Bays said that when the sun goes down, even when the clock strikes midnight, the playing continues.

"A lot of these kids go without supervision. They're running the streets and anything can happen," Bays said.

City officials said that's exactly why, for the second straight year, they're strongly enforcing the city's midnight curfew law for children.

"The one place young people should not be is out, unsupervised on their own in the wee hours of the morning in Columbus," said Columbus City Councilman Andrew Ginther.

Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman said the curfew has cut crime.

"During the time this effort has been ongoing, we have seen a decrease in aggravated assault. We have seen a decrease in felony larceny. We have seen a decrease in sexual assault," said Coleman.

City officials said that if a child is found to be breaking curfew and his or her parents cannot be located, they'll be taken to Franklin County Children Services on East Mound Street and it will be up to the parents to pick them up.

"We've had a lot of crime in our area -- breaking and entering, robberies, fighting," said Michael Reeves, Pastor at the Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church on the east side.

He says the curfew has helped fight that crime.

"There’s nothing out there for a child to do after midnight," said Reeves.

Melissa Stupelli who lives on the east side also says the curfew is working.

"By 9 p.m. or so, this street is shut down," she said.

Bill Graver, vice president of the University Area Commission said he is seeing progress made by the curfew law.

"We have noticed a decrease in the amount of kids that are out past the curfew and I would even say it's prior to that midnight time," says Graver.

Though Bays doubts the curfews effectiveness, it doesn't mean she disagrees with the idea. She says it's a team effort that should be led by parents.

"The old saying, 'It takes a village to raise a child,' that's what they believed in, that's how they raised us," Bays said.

"Kids should be home and it's up to the parents to make sure they are and they're safe," says Graver.

Late Thursday, NBC 4 contacted Columbus Public Safety and the Columbus Division of Police to obtain statistics from last year's enforcement of the curfew law. The phone calls were not immediately returned.

The City of Reynoldsburg also has a curfew in effect.

Children under the age of 15 have to be inside by 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Teenagers between 15 and 17 are allowed to stay out one hour later.

Violations require an appearance at Mayor's Court and then Franklin County Juvenile Court.

Westerville, Dublin, Newark, Lancaster, Pickerington and Union counties also have curfews.

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