Philadelphia to Impose Curfew for Minors amid Crime Surge
Philadelphia will impose a night-time curfew for the city’s minors in an effort to protect them from surging crime.
The city council on Thursday approved a 10 p.m. curfew for teenagers aged 14-to-17 and a 9:30 pm curfew for children under 13, effective indefinitely. Kids can return outside at 6:00 a.m. under the rule.
The measure was introduced after similar legislation that set the same 10pm indoor order expired at the end of September, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. While the curfew was implemented over the summer, a record-high number of juveniles were victims of gun violence, according to data from the Philadelphia Police Department. Critics of the rule say there is insufficient evidence to prove it will drive down youth victimization.
If signed by the mayor, the policy will be enforced by city police, who will be responsible for removing unaccompanied children from the streets after curfew, taking them home or to a community resource center, the publication noted. Children and teenagers who are in the care of adults or guardians, are working at jobs or attending school or religious activities, or are staying on their home property or sidewalk are exempted from the restriction.
As of late November, total violent offenses were up 3.08 percent for the year. Property crime increased 28.77 percent for the year, according to police statistics. The city in October reported a dramatic uptick in youth being targeted in shootings, a number which more than doubled since 2015. While 81 minors died in homicides in 2015, 213 died in homicides in 2021, according to calculations by Axios. The number dropped slightly to 181 in 2022.
Until last year, Philadelphia used to fine children and their parents up to $500 for repeated violations of the curfew, versions of which have existed in the city for decades.
Council member David Oh, the only lawmaker to vote against the curfew renewal, said the measure would burden police unnecessarily and strain relations between the department and residents. “It builds animosity between police and the community,” he said, according to the Inquirer.
Like other Democratic-run cities, Philadelphia has been captured by progressive prosecutors, who critics have accused of fueling crime with their lax law enforcement policies, such as bail reform. A few months ago, a campaign was started to impeach Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. Last month, a bipartisan committee in the Pennsylvania House released a report on the crime crisis in Philadelphia.
The report claimed to offer “a scathing picture of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s utter failure to uphold law and order in the city of Philadelphia,” complete with “first-hand accounts of Krasner’s poor leadership decisions, eye-opening statistics and data analysis, and statements from crime victims.”
