Texas Local Government Code - Section 370.002 requires: “(a) Before the third anniversary of the date of adoption of a juvenile curfew ordinance by a general-law municipality or a home-rule municipality or an order of a county commissioner's court, and every third year thereafter, the governing body of the general-law municipality or home-rule municipality or the Commissioner’s court of the county shall:
(1) Review the ordinance or order's effects on the community and on problems the ordinance or order was intended to remedy;
(2) Conduct public hearings on the need to continue the ordinance or order; and
(3) Abolish, continue, or modify the ordinance or order.
(b) Failure to act in accordance with Subsections (a)(1)-(3) shall cause the ordinance or order to expire.” The Juvenile Curfew ordinance is a valuable tool for reducing school truancy and criminal activity. The ordinance is enforced by the LPD as well as the LISD Police Department. The ordinance increases citizen awareness of juvenile offenses and the need to monitor juvenile offender activities through aggressive intervention and enforcement. A review of the ordinance and enforcement effectiveness, for January 1, 2019, through June 30, 2022, indicates the LISD Police Department issued 180 Juvenile Curfew citations and the Lubbock Police Department issued 198 Juvenile Curfew citations for a combined total of 378 citations. According to Lubbock Municipal Court, the fine for a Juvenile Curfew Violation is $146. The 378 citations issued is a prime indicator of the impact this ordinance can have on our reported crime. The ability of both agencies to prevent juvenile related crime is greatly enhanced by the remedy the ordinance provides an officer when dealing with juvenile offenders. The chart below lists juvenile arrests made by the Lubbock Police Department for juveniles sixteen (16) years of age and under for crimes that occurred during nighttime curfew hours on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, from January 1, 2019, through June 30, 2022. It should be noted that not every juvenile arrested received a curfew citation. The above data demonstrates that this ordinance and its enforcement are needed in the City of Lubbock to enhance the Lubbock Police Department's ability to investigate and proactively address juvenile crime. In addition, this ordinance compels parental accountability for their children’s actions through mandated court appearances and court ordered community service. Most violators are required to pay court fees and perform community service assigned by the Municipal Court Juvenile Judge. With this ordinance in place, Municipal Court will continue to have leverage on parental accountability through a fine structure for offenders failing to complete the mandated service hours or for habitually violating the ordinance. |