CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A new 10 p.m. curfew for anyone younger than 18 takes hold across Charlotte on Sunday night, and the city’s police chief says officers will lean on warnings and outreach before they start writing anyone up.
The rule, which the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department calls the Youth Protection Ordinance, bars minors from being on city streets without supervision after 10 p.m. Teens who are working or dealing with an emergency are exempt, and so are those out with a parent.
City Council approved the change on a 9-2 vote in late September. It applies every night of the week, weekends included, and runs as a pilot through August 2027. After that, council members will decide whether to keep it.
Police have pointed to so-called teen takeovers and other late-night crowds of young people at Camp North End and at Romare Bearden Park in uptown as the reason for a tougher rule.
CMPD Chief Estella Patterson said this week that the department plans a stretch of public education first. She said enforcement will come when officers see the same young people out repeatedly or find curfew violators involved in crimes. She has said the goal is voluntary compliance, not sending teenagers to jail.
The department will keep data on its contacts with teens over curfew violations. Under the ordinance, parents of repeat violators can face a charge of contributing to a minor’s delinquency.
The pilot gives the city about 10 months of results to study before council members vote again on whether the curfew should stay on the books after August 2027.
Section: More Charlotte NC crime news
Filed under: Charlotte NC Public Safety News
