Curfew Law

THERE WAS A hell of a fight two years ago in Baltimore over the imposition of an updated juvenile curfew law. New data released this month by the U.S. Conference of Mayors indicates curfews are growing in popularity and are being given partial credit for drops in juvenile crime. The information suggests Baltimore was right to continue its curfew law, but public officials must keep in mind the tool has only limited value.Baltimore first imposed a curfew in 1983 that prohibited unsupervised minors from being on the street after 11 p.m. The shooting of a 10-year-old boy led to passage of an even tougher law in 1994, but it couldn't stand up to constitutional scrutiny.

THOSE WHO travel the interstates into Baltimore may have noticed how much more serious the traffic police have become about ticketing speeders.The directive from Annapolis must be that since the speed limit on rural interstates has been raised to 65 miles an hour, then state troopers had better keep a closer eye on those traveling in the 55 mph zones.State police issued more than 4,700 speeding citations during the Independence Day holiday weekend -- 3,901 for exceeding 55 mph and 828 tickets to motorists who violated the new 65 mph limit.

The state's highest court has struck down Frederick's curfew, ruling that its wording, which is identical to Baltimore's curfew law, is too vague to be constitutional.The Court of Appeals decision Friday may trigger a legal challenge to Baltimore's year-old law because the ruling warns that a municipality may be liable if it uses an unconstitutional curfew to detain juveniles, legal experts said."What it means is any municipality, like Baltimore, that continues to enforce a curfew that could be unconstitutional is doing so at its own peril," said Deborah A. Jeon, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union.

The best thing to come out of the scramble to write a new juvenile curfew law for Baltimore may be a greater investment in recreation centers. City officials have long acknowledged the importance of youth recreation programs in keeping young people away from drugs and crime. But they invest too little in city rec centers to gain all the benefits.That could change with the search for alternatives to curfew laws that keep succumbing to judicial review. Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke has asked the finance and recreation departments to see if some of the city's $1 million emergency fund can be used to keep swimming pools and rec centers open longer, perhaps with adult volunteers staffing them.

Saying Baltimore is "living on borrowed time" without a curfew for juveniles, City Council President Mary Pat Clarke called on the mayor yesterday to immediately reinstate one.Mrs. Clarke, who is challenging Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke's bid for a third term, said he has had enough time over the past 10 days to review the curfew law that the council altered July 14 in an attempt to have it in place again this summer.A little over two weeks ago, the city suspended its year-old curfew after the state's highest court struck down an almost identical curfew law in Frederick.

Is it asking too much to want a city government that can figure out solutions to problems before they become acute?All too often the mayor and City Council look as though they never heard of the adage about an ounce of prevention being worth more than a pound of cure. Just look at all the scrambling over a new curfew law for young people.The city first imposed such a curfew nearly 12 years years ago to keep unsupervised minors off the street after 11 p.m. But in November 1993 a 10-year-old, Tauris Johnson, was shot and killed while tossing a football outside around 6 p.m. That spurred passage of a tougher curfew pushed by the council's African-American coalition.

Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke and City Council President Mary Pat Clarke wrangled yesterday during a Board of Estimates meeting over the city's use of outside attorneys whose legal work in two issues will cost $780,000.The five-member board eventually approved the outside legal work, with Mrs. Clarke -- who is opposing the mayor's bid for a third term and is also the board's president -- voting no.The dispute between Mrs. Clarke and the mayor comes as Mr. Schmoke is under scrutiny for spending millions of city dollars on outside law firms, including Baltimore's Shapiro & Olander, which has political ties to the mayor.

New Windsor is the only one of Carroll County's eight municipalities where town leaders are battling juveniles who stay out late causing trouble. But officials in three other towns say they may revise their curfew laws so they would be prepared if problems arise.Manchester, Sykesville and Union Bridge officials are examining their curfew laws because of their similarity to Frederick's, which Maryland's highest court ruled last month was unconstitutional.The June 30 Court of Appeals ruling said Frederick's law was too vague about certain exceptions to the curfew.

Saying Baltimore needs more than a curfew to keep restless youths off the streets, Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke pledged yesterday to direct money from an emergency fund to keep the city's recreation centers and pools open later at night.Mr. Schmoke, who has made it clear that he is not a big curfew fan, said the city would be better off providing nighttime recreation programs for young people as an alternative to hanging out on the often-dangerous streets."I certainly don't condone young people being unsupervised and just roaming about the city, but I also understand we've got to do more than just look at a curfew," Mr. Schmoke said.

Let's see if we've got this straight: Tuesday night, City Council members Lawrence A. Bell and Martin O'Malley sashayed down to the Park Heights community -- reporters and television news crews in tow -- in order to "document" the conditions that make a youth curfew law necessary.Bathed in television lights, the two politicians pointed and gawked like tourists at the more sensational aspects of night life in the inner city.And then Mr. Bell and Mr. O'Malley were shocked that some of the youths there got fed up and began to throw things at them.

It's about 3:20 a.m. when a mother in a smiley-face do-rag, sweats and pink bedroom slippers steps into the bright lights of the elementary school gymnasium, anything but happy as she scans a semicircle of kids in folding chairs for her teenage daughter. Close behind is a woman in all black, clutching a pack of Newport cigarettes. She shakes her head in disgust when her 16-year-old boy spots her and smiles broadly. These sleepy mothers have come to retrieve their children from Baltimore's new curfew center at Dallas F. Nicholas Sr. Elementary School in Barclay, open from midnight to 4 a.m. each Friday, Saturday and Sunday until school resumes this fall.

City police are cracking down on nighttime truancy, and children caught on the streets during curfew hours are detained at an East Baltimore site. The parents of repeat curfew-breakers can face fines of up to $300. The city curfew applies to those 16 and younger and lasts from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and from midnight to 6 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Col. Debbie Owens, chief of patrol, said first-time offenders will not be issued citations because many parents don't know about the curfew law. Juveniles picked up are taken to the Baltimore Truancy Assessment Center at 400 N. Caroline St., where a nighttime truancy program was restarted six weeks ago, Owens said.

Concerned about Northern High School students who commit crimes while playing hooky, city police stepped up patrols in the area yesterday and arrested 33 truant Northern students. About 30 officers participated in operation "Be My Valentine." After stopping the students for violating the city's 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. curfew for children 16 and younger - and handcuffing at least some - officers returned them to Northern, where school officials suspended the youths and sent them home. The school's principal, Betty Donaldson, and School Police Chief Jansen M. Robinson did not return calls seeking comment.

A group of Anne Arundel County residents is asking the County Council to create a curfew for people younger than age 17 that it believes would solve nuisance problems in neighborhoods. A curfew of midnight Friday and Saturday nights and 11 p.m. other nights has been requested by members of the county's Western District Police Community Relations Council. Under the proposal - based on the curfew law in Laurel City - it also would be illegal for children to be in public places when school is in session.

A group of Anne Arundel County residents is asking the County Council to create a curfew for people younger than age 17 that it believes would solve nuisance problems in neighborhoods. A curfew of midnight Friday and Saturday nights and 11 p.m. other nights has been requested by members of the county's Western District Police Community Relations Council. Under the proposal - based on the curfew law in Laurel City - it also would be illegal for children to be in public places when school is in session.

THERE WAS A hell of a fight two years ago in Baltimore over the imposition of an updated juvenile curfew law. New data released this month by the U.S. Conference of Mayors indicates curfews are growing in popularity and are being given partial credit for drops in juvenile crime. The information suggests Baltimore was right to continue its curfew law, but public officials must keep in mind the tool has only limited value.Baltimore first imposed a curfew in 1983 that prohibited unsupervised minors from being on the street after 11 p.m. The shooting of a 10-year-old boy led to passage of an even tougher law in 1994, but it couldn't stand up to constitutional scrutiny.

THOSE WHO travel the interstates into Baltimore may have noticed how much more serious the traffic police have become about ticketing speeders.The directive from Annapolis must be that since the speed limit on rural interstates has been raised to 65 miles an hour, then state troopers had better keep a closer eye on those traveling in the 55 mph zones.State police issued more than 4,700 speeding citations during the Independence Day holiday weekend -- 3,901 for exceeding 55 mph and 828 tickets to motorists who violated the new 65 mph limit.

Saying Baltimore is "living on borrowed time" without a curfew for juveniles, City Council President Mary Pat Clarke called on the mayor yesterday to immediately reinstate one.Mrs. Clarke, who is challenging Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke's bid for a third term, said he has had enough time over the past 10 days to review the curfew law that the council altered July 14 in an attempt to have it in place again this summer.A little over two weeks ago, the city suspended its year-old curfew after the state's highest court struck down an almost identical curfew law in Frederick.

New Windsor is the only one of Carroll County's eight municipalities where town leaders are battling juveniles who stay out late causing trouble. But officials in three other towns say they may revise their curfew laws so they would be prepared if problems arise.Manchester, Sykesville and Union Bridge officials are examining their curfew laws because of their similarity to Frederick's, which Maryland's highest court ruled last month was unconstitutional.The June 30 Court of Appeals ruling said Frederick's law was too vague about certain exceptions to the curfew.

Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke and City Council President Mary Pat Clarke wrangled yesterday during a Board of Estimates meeting over the city's use of outside attorneys whose legal work in two issues will cost $780,000.The five-member board eventually approved the outside legal work, with Mrs. Clarke -- who is opposing the mayor's bid for a third term and is also the board's president -- voting no.The dispute between Mrs. Clarke and the mayor comes as Mr. Schmoke is under scrutiny for spending millions of city dollars on outside law firms, including Baltimore's Shapiro & Olander, which has political ties to the mayor.