The City of Seaford adopted a juvenile curfew ordinance Wednesday.
The mayor can now implement the curfew as needed with an executive order. When in place, the curfew would run from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. for those 17 and under.
The curfew ordinance was proposed in July, and deputy police chief Mika Rapa said then that the curfew would be a “tool in the toolbox” for the police department.
“If there's civil unrest, if there's a spike in juvenile crime, or things of that nature… it's just not all the time enacted,” Rapa said. “The mayor has to make that decision based on the information that's provided to them.”
The U.S. has over 400 towns, cities, counties and states where juvenile curfews are in place, according to the National Youth Rights Association.
A 2016 study found juvenile curfews are ineffective solutions to reduce crime. The study concurs with previous literature.
Exceptions to the curfew include emergencies, being accompanied by a parent religious practices after notifying police and traveling to and from work “with proper certification,” according to the proposal.
Enforcement would include $50 fines to parents and increase by $25 for each additional offense.
Rapa said Seaford is the 13th city in Delaware to have a curfew ordinance, so this isn’t new to the state.
“Parents need to be parents,” Rapa said. “You know, this puts the onus on the parent or guardian that you are the parent. You need to take responsibility for your child.”
In the last three years, there have been 528 complaints involving juveniles, with 34 juveniles listed as suspects or defendants in criminal charges, according to Seaford Police Chief Marshall Craft.
The Seaford Police Department did not offer any other data on juvenile crime rates in the area.
