LEAGUE CITY, Texas City council members today will review and vote on the city s curfew for children younger than 17.
Police say the curfew is a valuable tool in preventing crime.
Curfew hours are between midnight and 5 a.m., and between 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays, except on holidays.
The curfew allows police to stop teenagers who are out during curfew hours, which prevents crime, Police Chief Mike Jez said. Most home burglaries happen during the day, he said.
Our young people often engage in criminal activity during the day when they ve skipped school, Jez said. That s where the ordinance is handy.
Police officials usually call a parent if they catch a child violating the curfew, Jez said.
Violating the curfew is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500. Exceptions to the curfew include when a teen is driving home from work after midnight, running an errand for a parent or involved in an emergency.
Not all residents, however, believe the curfew acts as a public safety measure.
League City resident Deborah Gaffney has two teenage children whom the city curfew affects. Gaffney said the curfew interferes with her right as a parent to set rules for her children.
They re legislating what they want people to do because they think parents don t have enough sense to tell their children when to be home, she said. My job as a parent is to know where my child is. Allow me to raise my own children.
The day curfew has benefits because it keeps children in school, but police have not enforced the law, Gaffney said. She has seen children walking away from Clear Creek High School during the day on numerous occasions, Gaffney said.
Jez said the curfew is necessary because some parents don t have enough sense to tell their children when to be home.
The ordinance gives the police officer the right to tell teenagers they need to go home, he said.
