HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 10346 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 10346
December 10, 2019
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
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SUBJECT: CURFEW ORDINANCE FOR MINORS
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The purpose of this report is to provide information about the review of the City of Fort Worth Curfew
Ordinance. The state statute enabling a city to authorize a teen curfew requires a review and council
action every third year. Public hearings to review the curfew ordinance are scheduled for December 17,
2019 and January 14, 2020. Failure by the City Council to act shall cause this section to expire on
January 24, 2020. The City Council is encouraged to weigh the following information in deciding whether
to abolish, continue, or modify the ordinance:
• Practicality of enforcing this section and any problems with enforcement
• Impact of this section on crime statistics
• Usefulness of this section
• City's net cost of enforcing this section
Practicality
The Police Department, Marshal Division, and Municipal Prosecutors have not experienced issues with
enforcing and prosecuting curfew violations. Cases appear on the juvenile arraignment docket and are
typically resolved in Teen Court.
Crime Impact
The teen curfew is an effective tool to reduce both the victimization of young people and the possible
commission of criminal acts by youth. According to a University of California, Berkeley study, The Impact
of Juvenile Curfew Laws on Arrests of Youth and Adults by Patrick Kline, arrest data suggests that curfew
ordinances reduce arrests of juveniles by approximately ten percent in the five years following enactment.
In the last three years since October 2016, the number of curfew citations decreased by approximately
57%.
A B C
Fiscal Total Plea - No Plea -
Year Filings Closed % Open % Open %
2017 163 82 50% 20 13% 61 37%
2018 129 54 42% 28 22% 47 36%
2019 70 20 29% 31 44% 19 27%
Column A Represents cases in which a case was closed through Teen Court,
payment, deferred disposition, or dismissal.
Column B Represents cases in which a plea was entered and final disposition
has not occurred yet.
Column C Represents cases in which the defendant has not appeared to enter a
plea.
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 10346
December 10, 2019
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
NL
a Page 2 of 2
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SUBJECT: CURFEW ORDINANCE FOR MINORS
r6 IV JAL
Yg7'3
Although there is no tangible mechanism to measure the absence of crime, it is believed that the number
of citations has decreased due to the reduced number of juveniles on the streets between the hours of
11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Usefulness
The teen curfew is an effective tool to reduce both the victimization of young people and the possible
commission of criminal acts by youth. The juvenile curfew ordinance is not utilized in every possible
instance, but when appropriate, it represents a useful option for police officers to help get juveniles off the
street where they either may be engaged in criminal activity or are more likely to become a crime victim.
Net Cost
Estimate of Department's enforcement costs:
2017 = 244.5 hours x $34.48 = $8,430
2018 = 193.5 hours x $34.88 = $6,749
2019 = 105 hours x $36.07 = $3,787
Average = 181 hours x $34.21= $6,322
$6,322 is the average annual cost of on-duty officers to enforce the curfew ordinance.
Note: This is a conservative cost estimate, as it only includes the cost of one officer, but there are
occasions when more than one officer is involved in issuing a citation. In addition, the Police Department
may run details during the curfew hours (11:00 p.m. - 6:00 a.m.) that involve overtime dollars, which are
not included in this estimate. The enforcement of this ordinance has led to the gradual reduction in
citations, which equates to an overall reduction in cost.
For more information or questions, please contact Community Programs Division Captain J.C. Stockton at
817-392-4181.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS