DATE: Tuesday, August 5, 1997               TAG: 9708040251

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Public Safety: A Special Weekly Report 

SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  110 lines

LIGHTS OUT, KIDS IN DO CURFEWS KEEP AREA TEENS OUT OF TROUBLE? COPS SAY YES, TEENS NO

Several years ago, when cities in South Hampton Roads started using curfews to sweep teens off the public streets by 11 p.m. or midnight, some youths and parents protested.

Officials countered that the curfews would help keep teens out of trouble. Behind closed doors, teens would be less likely to be victimized, and they would have fewer chances to start a ruckus.

Now, after years of experience with curfews, officials across the region say they can't make a direct link between curfews and crime rates among teen-agers. Still, many say that the ordinances are working.

``Not all kids are bad, but there is a tendency to get into more mischief the longer some of them stay out at night,'' said Cpl. Larry Hill, of the Norfolk police department. ``So there is some association with crimes.''

Chesapeake police Det. Dick Black said that if teen-agers are out after curfew hours ``the chances are more likely that a juvenile would be into criminal activity.''

The curfews vary slightly from city to city in South Hampton Roads.

Chesapeake and Suffolk require teens 15 years old and younger to be indoors by 11 p.m. In Norfolk and Portsmouth the curfew is set for youths under 16, and in Virginia Beach the age is 17.

For every city in South Hampton Roads, the curfew is in effect until about 5 a.m.

Law enforcement officials say knowing about the curfews is crucial, especially during the summer, when many teens want to stay out later. They try to spread the information through school lectures and the media.

Police say the curfews are being enforced, but the number of youths apprehended for curfew violations varies from city to city.

According to a Virginian-Pilot analysis of FBI records for 1995, there were 588 incidents of curfew violations in Virginia Beach, 335 in Norfolk, 118 in Portsmouth, 69 in Suffolk and five in Chesapeake. 1995 is the latest year for which information is available from the FBI.

Det. Don Rimer of the Virginia Beach Police Department said violators usually are stopped while officers are on routine patrol.

``Officers are very observant of the law,'' he said. ``They keep an eye out for underage kids after 11.''

In a typical scenario, an officer may spot a group of teens at the Oceanfront resort strip or outside a convenience store. The officer will ask them for identification, and if the youths are underage, they are taken into custody.

``Normally (the officer) won't send them home,'' Rimer said. ``You have to make sure they are taken home, or picked up by a parent.''

Sometimes, he said, the teens are taken to a police precinct to be picked up.

Rimer said the violator is then issued a summons to appear before a judge in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

Breaking a city's curfew is considered a status violation, which is not a criminal offense. Punishment varies in the different jurisdictions, and in some cases, is determined by judges on a case-by-case basis.

There are no blanket penalties for violating curfew across South Hampton Roads. For example, in Chesapeake and Suffolk, punishment is up to the juvenile court judge.

``The majority of times, the child is taken home,'' said Mike Simpkins, a Suffolk police department spokesman. ``Sometimes the parents come and get them.''

According to officials in Suffolk juvenile court, a youth who has violated the ordinance could face warnings, a lecture or maybe some public service. A judge may consider factors such as the child's past violations.

The curfew ordinance in Chesapeake was amended in 1994, Det. Black said. Officers there are told to watch for potential violators while they are on patrol, he said.

And despite some protests to the contrary, more youths are aware that a curfew exists.

``There was a time it was a surprise,'' Black said. ``But it's been common knowledge for quite some time.''

That may account for Chesapeake's low number of curfew violations reported to the FBI. Police spokesman Dave Hughes said he wasn't surprised that Chesapeake had fewer violations than any city in South Hampton Roads because curfew busting isn't much of a problem.

The cities permit some exceptions to the curfews. If youths are with a parent or guardian, or if they are unaccompanied on trips involving work or school activities or if they have an emergency, they are exempt. Teen-agers can also get papers, signed by their parent or guardian, which let them be out late.

Many teen-agers have curfews imposed by their parents, but police said those curfews have to fall within the limits of the ordinance.

When it comes to setting his curfew, Philip Toscano, a Virginia Beach teen-ager, prefers to consult his parents rather than the law. His parents have a midnight curfew for him to be home, which is one hour later than the city limit.

The curfew ``is kind of early,'' said Toscano, 17. ``You have to rush home and all of the good things happen later on.''

Toscano, who attends First Colonial High School, said parental rule is more effective. ``Parents can do much more to you,'' he said.

Michelle Ceballos, at 17, is one year beyond the reach of Norfolk's curfew. Still, she said she still adheres to her parents' rules.

Ceballos said juvenile offenders most likely would not obey a curfew anyway.

``I don't think that's going to stop the kids from doing what they are going to do,'' she said. ``It depends how kids are brought up.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos

Chesapeake police Detective Dick Black

Michelle Ceballos

Photo illustration by MICHAEL HALL, The Virginian-Pilot

Chart

COMPARING TEEN CURFEWS IN SOUTH HAMPTON ROADS CITIES

For complete information see microfilm

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