Juveniles Should Remember City Curfew During Summer Months

Now that the summer months are in full swing and school is out for vacation, children under the age of 18 need to remember the city-wide curfew is in effect.

The laws of the City of Winslow state that is illegal for children under the age of 12 years to be on city streets or sidewalks after 9 p.m. unless accompanied by a parent, guardian or a family member over the age of 21. Children 12 to 15 have a city curfew of 10 p.m. and those ages 16 and 17 have to be off the streets or sidewalks by 11 p.m.

In the past, officers would take the children home and talk to them and their parents about the curfew, Lieutenant James “Jim” Sepi, of the Winslow Police Department, said.

Because of the rise of burglaries, vandalism and the number of children found on the streets after hours, the authorities have started to give juveniles a citation that requires them to appear in court instead of the verbal warnings. When a juvenile is picked up, parents or guardians are notified, the child stays in police custody until an adult picks them up.

Judge Allison Kolomitz of the Winslow Justice Court hears the cases and decides on the punishment for each offender.

When a juvenile appears before her, they either admit or deny the charges against them, and the receive consequences based on that findings of the court.

The possible consequences range from community service; written essays about their goals in life and how this offense would effect those goals; to paying a fine. With each offense a juvenile commits, their consequences increase in severity.

During the school year when the teen court program is in session, Kolomitz may defer the case the teen court and let the juvenile offender’s peers decide the consequences. Kolomitz said that because the program is not running during the summer months, no cases will be sent to the teen court.

The Winslow Police Department had a total of nine curfew violations thus far in June.

Once a child reaches the age of 18, they are considered an adult and curfew regulations do not apply to them.

Parents can be cited and even have a warrant for their arrest if the police receive a complaint or discover they are not requesting their children follow the curfew.

Kolomitz offered the statement that the curfew “is not there to just keep the kids out of trouble, but the night is dangerous times for them and we want to keep them safe.”

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