Charlotte’s top cop pushes for curfew crackdown to prevent dangerous “teen takeovers”
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A major push by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police to clamp down on “teen takeovers” across the city. Following a weekend of mass gatherings and arrests, police are asking city leaders to tighten the youth curfew, and lower the age and the hour for minors.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Estella Patterson says, “I think that our young people are trying to find somewhere and something to do, which is reasonable, and we want them to have that. We want it to be a safe space.”
From Uptown to University City and surrounding areas, dangerous “teen takeovers” have plagued the Queen City. On Saturday, CMPD arrested 12 minors and cited 10 adults in connection with a planned takeover at the University City Boardwalk, where police say up to 300 minors showed up.
Patterson says, “This proposal is not going to a hundred percent prevent incidents. It’s a tool that’s going to help us move it forward, but we have to make sure that we’re always talking about different things that we can do to have safe spaces for our young people.”
The proposal by CMPD to tighten curfew restrictions cleared its first hurdle on Tuesday. The city’s Public Safety Committee officially voted to accept the plan and move it forward.
Right now, the city’s curfew is 11:00 PM for minors ages 13 to 15, and 10:00 PM for those under 12. CMPD wants a blanket 9:00 PM curfew every day of the week for anyone under the age of 18.
Police say the massive, unmanaged gatherings are breaking existing curfews, overwhelming local resources, and putting a new focus on parental accountability. Patterson says, “I’m hopeful that these charges will not be dismissed because the District Attorney (Spencer Merriweather) and his team is seeing the problems that we’re having with these takeovers. So I think everybody’s on board to make sure that it’s a win for our entire city.”
Exceptions will remain in place for minors who are working, running errands, or accompanied by a parent or guardian. Patterson says, “We want our Uptown to be vibrant. We want our entire city to be vibrant, and I think this really is a win for us.”
Parents who allow their children to break the curfew can be hit with misdemeanor charges for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The final decision on this proposal now rests with the full city council, which reconvenes for regular meetings in August.
