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Feb 1, 2009 10:40 pm US/Central
Dallas Group Begins Look At Daytime Teen Curfew
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
The nighttime juvenile curfew in Dallas could be expanded to daytime hours. It's an issue that will soon be discussed at Dallas City Hall.
The daytime curfew will be discussed by eight members of the city council that make up the Public Safety Committee on Monday. Committee members in favor of a daytime curfew say if you cut truancy you can cut crime.
Mayor Pro Tem Elba Garcia points to research saying that the majority of home burglaries blamed on juveniles in 2008 happened during school hours.
"When 63 percent of the juvenile arrests occur during school hours I believe we have a problem." A problem Garcia says can greatly be reduced by creating a curfew from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Parents say they like the idea. The Dallas Independent School District says besides cutting crime the curfew would mean more money for the district as absent kids mean less money from the state.
Some cities in the area have already implemented the plan. Hurst, Euless and Bedford went to similar curfews last year. The HEB Schools report after implementing a daytime curfew unexcused absences dropped by nearly 10,000 for the year.
Schools get money, the city would face less crime, but there is concern with enforcement. Parents could be fined up to 500 dollars if their child skips school.
These and other issues will be discussed by the commission in their meeting Monday. The city says it will hold a public hearing on March 25. A second hearing and final vote would be scheduled for April 22.
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