Curfew Amendment Tabled After Public Weighs In

The City County Council Rules and Public Policy Committee is considering a new curfew for teens.

Under a proposed amendment, unsupervised 15- to 17-year olds would no longer be allowed alone in the county after 11 p.m. and before 5 a.m.

As it stands now, they can be out until 1 a.m, Saturday and Sunday.

Indianapolis resident Marvin Taylor supports the change and says it should be a no-brainer.

"It may not decrease crime or this or that, but, if it can get some kids off of the streets to help the officers do their job to go after the people who are committing the crimes then I think amending the curfew is an effective tool," he said.  "It's not the end all be all, but definitely amending the curfew, getting the kids off of the street, is an effective tool."

But, Juvenile Justice Advocate for Marion Superior Court Jenny Young thinks adjusting the curfew will have minimal impact.

"In and of itself, it's not going to change much," she said.  "It will allow officers to approach youth earlier and hopefully send them home, which is exactly what we want to happen if they are not out there with a purpose.  But, we want to make sure that it is supported through community response.  Otherwise, it's an empty threat."

The committee decided to table voting on the proposal to digest the suggestions made during the more than two hour conversation.

Councilor Vop Osili is a co-sponsor of the amendment.  He says he can’t support the measure in its current form after hearing the need to couple a change in curfew with other community outreach efforts. 

"The whole purpose of introducing an ordinance and having it go before a committee is to flush it out.  And, the idea of flushing it out is to learn more about its potential impact," he said.  "Once we learn more, we are open minded enough to say 'wait, this isn't right.  This is not enough' or 'This stands in isolation and won't be as effective as it would be if we were working with other programs.'"