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August 2008 |
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 It is that time of year again as high school football kickoffs across Texas today. The Sweetwater Mustangs will open the season at 7:30 p.m. today against Burkburnett in the Times Record News Kickoff Classic in Wichita Falls. The Mustangs will begin their home schedule Friday, Sept. 5, when Seminole visits for the fourth annual TSTC West Texas Sammy Baugh Classic. |
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Few citations issued since establishment of curfew in S'water |
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Written by Tatiana Rodriguez
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Thursday, 17 July 2008 |
Since the city commission approved an ordinance establishing a curfew for minors in December, the Sweetwater Police Department has issued only 14 citations, eight of which have been issued in the past week. Crime is also down from last year.
“Crime has been way down this summer compared to last year and we’re glad,” said Sweetwater police chief Jim Kelley.
“We can’t exactly pinpoint the cause of the decline or whether it is the curfew or not,” Kelley said.
“The curfew will work for some, but those that it doesn’t work for will be out regardless of the consequences of violating the curfew.”
Kelley does hope that the implemented curfew and cautious parents are the causes of the lower crime rate.
Last year there were a total of seven incidences of burglaries of a building, which include businesses and churches. This year there have only been five. Also, there were 23 burglaries of habitations last year but only eight so far this year.
Last year, 19 vehicles were broken into and so far this year there have only been eight burglary of a vehicle offenses. Criminal mischief, which is classified as destroying property, is also down with last year’s number being 36 and this year’s number down to 26.
There have been 20 thefts so far this year and there were 45 last year, which is a significant drop in anything from shoplifting to items being stolen out of yards and garages.
A recent traffic stop caught five minors in violation of the curfew ordinance and one of those, a 16-year-old male, was arrested for possession of marijuana. The other minors were given citations for curfew violations and minor in consumption of alcohol.
“All of the citations we have given have been to minors who are out way past the curfew, not just by minutes,” said Kelley, noting that minors have been out between 2-3 a.m. “We would like to remind parents to encourage their children to remember the city-wide curfew. We are still very busy here at the police department, but we hope that crime stays down.”
The ordinance requires mi-nors under the age of 17 to be home by 11 p.m. on weeknights, and by 12:30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Those same minors must also stay home until at least 6 a.m. every day, according to the ordinance.
The ordinance also states that (1) a parent or guardian of a minor commits an offense if he knowingly permits, or by insufficient control, allows the minor to remain in any public place or on the premises of any establishment within the city during curfew hours; and (2) the owner, operator, or any employee of an establishment commits an offense if he knowingly allows a minor to remain on the premises of the establishment during curfew hours.
But the ordinance also has several defenses to prosecution that occur if the minor is:
— Accompanied by the mi-nor’s parent or guardian;
— On an errand at the direction of the minor’s parent or guardian, without any detour or stop;
— In a motor vehicle involved in intrastate or interstate travel for which passage through the curfew area is the most direct route;
— Engaged in an employment activity, or going to or returning home from an employment activity, without detour or stop;
— Involved in an emergency;
— On the sidewalk abutting the minor’s residence or abutting the residence of a next door neighbor if the neighbor did not complain to the police department about the minor’s presence;
— Attending an official school, religious, or other recreational activity supervised by adults and sponsored by the city, a civic organization, or another similar entity that takes responsibility for the minor, or going to or returning home from, without any detour or stop, an official school, religious, or other recreational activity supervised by adults and sponsored by the city, a civic organization, or another similar entity that takes responsibility for the minor;
— Exercising first amend-ment rights protected by the U.S. Constitution, such as the free exercise of religion, freedom of speech, and the right of assembly;
— Married or had been married or had disabilities of minority removed in accordance with Chapter 31 of the Texas Family Code.
It is also a defense to prosecution that the owner, operator, or employee of an establishment promptly notified the police department or a peace officer that a minor was present on the premises of the establishment during curfew hours and refused to leave. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 July 2008 )
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