Chicago council OKs earlier curfew for kids under 12

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Updated: July 29, 2011 2:15AM

Parents who allow their kids under 12 to be out past 8:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 p.m. on weekends will face hefty fines, beginning Sept. 18, thanks to a crackdown launched by the City Council Thursday with Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s blessing.

Emanuel said he particularly likes the concept of giving parents who exercise “insufficient control” what he called “three strikes” — fines as high as $500 or community service if their young kids get two curfew citations in a calendar year and up to $1,500 if it happens three times.

“I grew up with a curfew. When the lights on the street went on, you took your tail and made it home and [got] in the house. And that’s what I believe is the right policy for the safety and security of our kids,” the mayor said.

“It doesn’t mean that, because you have, kids are gonna be safe. But, it means that we’re aligning good parenting and the laws of the city.”

Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said he gets daily briefings on every shooting in the city and, “As soon as a 15-year-old is shot at 12 o’clock at night, I want to know what the curfew numbers are in this location in this district.”

Why, then, have the number of curfew citations issued by Chicago Police dropped steadily — from 23,275 in 2009 to 19,555 last year and 8,398 for the first six months of this year?

“I have to get tough on my commanders to make sure that they’re doing curfew [enforcement] so we don’t have young people getting shot late at night,” McCarthy said.

Two years ago, then-Mayor Richard M. Daley turned back the curfew clock by 30 minutes — to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends for Chicago’s 730,000 kids under the age of 17. The curfew is currently the same for younger kids.

The ordinance approved Thursday will turn back the clock again, but only for children under 12. Beginning Sept. 18, they will have to be in the house or in their front or backyards by 8:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 p.m. on weekends.

The phrase about “insufficient control” was added to prevent parents from escaping responsibility by claiming they didn’t know their children’s whereabouts.

Fraternal Order of Police President Mike Shields called the ordinance a sad commentary on “the society we live in.”

“We have to make laws to tell parents their children should be in at night. ... That’s something parents ought to know, but they don’t, and it’s a shame,” Shields said.

“A few days ago, a kid pulled a BB gun out at a police officer. What we’re not talking about is this was 11 o’clock at night, and he’s 13 years old. Shame on that parent for having that 13-year-old out at that time of night.”

The wounded teen’s family insisted he did not have a weapon and described him as a good kid without any behavioral problems.

Shields said that after a two-year hiring slowdown that has created a severe manpower shortage, the latest curfew crackdown is more symbolic than real.

“It’s not going to be enforcible. If we can’t enforce laws to curb street violence because of manpower issues, how can we enforce [an even stricter] curfew law?” he said.

During a news conference after Thursday’s City Council meeting, Emanuel was asked how police would be able to prove a child is under 12 when kids that age don’t carry ID’s with their birth date. He never answered the question.

“Also, if the officer does pick-up that child, they are required to physically transport that child back to a parent or guardian,” said Chris Mather, the mayor’s communications director. “At that time, they can also verify age.”