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Public hearing held as DC plans to extend the juvenile curfew
District leaders heard from the public about plans to extend the juvenile curfew on Thursday. The previous law expired on Oct. 5 and now there's a push for a possible permanent solution. FOX 5's Tisha Lewis reports.
WASHINGTON - District leaders heard from the public about plans to extend the juvenile curfew on Thursday.
The previous law expired on Oct. 5 and now there's a push for a possible permanent solution.
What we know:
The conversation about extending the juvenile curfew in D.C. continues. The proposed extension of the juvenile curfew did not pass earlier this month.
Now a public hearing to factor in the community’s input on a potential juvenile curfew extension.
D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith also referred youth gatherings causing fear and property damage.
"We have to be working to do something. We don’t want it to be a long-term fix because it’s not a long-term fix, but what can we do to put something in place," MPD Chief Pamela Smith said.
Today’s public roundtable and hearing comes after an emergency law went into effect, extending the curfew to 17-year-olds, and starting the curfew at 11 p.m. daily during the July and August summer months.
D.C. police also established juvenile curfew zones. Again, that all expired on Oct. 5 and a proposal to extend the curfew for three more months failed.
Big picture view:
Now, the D.C. Council is hearing from the community about the possibility of extending the juvenile curfew and weighing pros and cons.
"From the restaurant industries’ perspective, this measure gives MPD a critical tool to prevent problems before they start. Our workers often leave restaurants late at night and our guests want to feel safe in places like U Street, Navy Yard, Adams Morgan and The Wharf," said Sean Townshend, President and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.
But critics point out that a juvenile curfew could "criminalize young people for having nowhere to go," calling the juvenile curfew a quick fix.
Many public witnesses at today’s hearing say the juvenile curfew is an additional tool for D.C. police in combatting juvenile crime.
Thursday's hearing is the first public roundtable as D.C. leaders decide what to do next.