<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1665513384586,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000179-379a-dbb2-a7fd-bfda8bfc0000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1665513384586,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000179-379a-dbb2-a7fd-bfda8bfc0000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_65509209", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1114585"} }); ","_id":"00000183-c855-d791-abd3-de5d66340000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedA Maryland county located just outside Washington, D.C., will extend its curfew for residents under the age of 17 throughout the end of the year as officials continue their efforts to crack down on juvenile crime.
The curfew in Prince George’s County was originally implemented after Labor Day when county officials reported one of the deadliest months for homicides in the county’s history. The curfew was initially set to expire on Wednesday, but County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks announced the county would extend enforcement through the end of the year.
MARYLAND COUNTY ISSUES CURFEW FOR RESIDENTS UNDER 17 TO CRACK DOWN ON JUVENILE CRIME
“I want to say to everyone very clearly that we are not done yet. There is still so much work to do, so we are still a ways away from our goal, but we are really pleased with what we’ve seen so far,” Alsobrooks said Tuesday. “Now I’ve never said to anyone … that the curfew would solve crimes, but instead, we knew the curfew would be a tool that we could add to our toolbox to help us combat the rise in violence we were seeing.”
Under the curfew, juveniles in Prince George’s County must be home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. on Sundays through Thursdays and between midnight and 5 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The curfew is the first of its kind in almost three decades for the county and comes in response to a spike in juvenile crime rates, which contributed to the single deadliest month the county recorded in August.
Over the last month of the curfew, officials issued four warnings for juveniles who were caught violating the rules, but no violations were recorded, according to Alsobrooks.
Prince George’s County police announced at a recent town hall meeting that the county had reported a “significant reduction” in violence within the last month after the curfew was implemented. Although it’s not clear whether the curfew had a direct impact on the reduction in crime, Alsobrooks indicated it was a good sign the curfew was working.
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“The really good news today, and I’m so happy to announce, is that our curfew was successful in many of the ways we had hoped,” Alsobrooks said. “Not only did we engage parents in our community more deeply, but we were also able to provide greater protection to a number of our youth. What we need going forward is for our community to remain engaged with our crime prevention efforts and we need our community to remain engaged with our youth.”
The curfew is enforced through a local ordinance passed in November 1995 that allows law enforcement to take teenagers into custody or issue fines if minors repeatedly violate the law. Some exceptions exist, including if a juvenile is with a parent, is out late because of employment, or is married.
