Miami Curfew Aims to Keep Kids Safe and Inside Ahead of Spring Break
As police departments across the country try and quell violent crime rates, Miami police have begun enforcing a new curfew that targets individuals who are under 17. The new law could keep kids safe and off the streets.
It is not unheard of for a police department to issue a curfew for minors, as it usually happens when schools are not in session and kids tend to stay out later. This new curfew in Miami comes ahead of the school district's planned spring break.
"It's normally done when kids are out of school, and we've done it before ... usually during the summer months," Miami Police Department spokesman Willie Moreno said in a statement. "That's when kids tend to stay out later and later."
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The Juvenile Curfew Ordinance will apply to children who are under the age of 17 and states that it is illegal for applicable children to out unaccompanied in Miami-Dade county between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday.
As suspected, not all think a curfew will benefit them specifically, but see the importance of such a measure.
"I don't really need a curfew," Miami teen Keith Steart told NBC. "But I do feel that a curfew is important because young kids like my age are dying in the streets."
Others feel the measure does not go far enough as a recent increase in deadly shootings has captivated local headlines.
"You don't know what's going on," Pete Soriano told The Miami Herald. "You've got drug dealings; you've got shoot outs, kids getting killed left and right."
The curfew is not cut and dry, and there are a number of exceptions listed for children under 17.
Some of the exceptions to the curfew include provisions if the child is homeless or if the juvenile is expressing their First Amendment rights. They can also be out past the curfew time if they can provide written permission from a parent or guardian or if those under 17 are traveling to and from work or school.
