STANTON : City OKs Imposition of Juvenile Curfew

The City Council voted unanimously this week to develop a nighttime curfew for juveniles and instructed the city attorney to find out how to create one.

“It would deter those kids that are out there tagging and vandalizing those buildings,” Councilman Sal Sapien said. “It will give (the police) the authority to stop and question those kids.”

Sapien last month proposed a 10 p.m.-to-dawn curfew for minors that is modeled after a new one in Rosemead. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which provides police services to that city, said the curfew was designed to work against gang members but still allow juveniles to travel to and from meetings, movies and other nighttime activities.

Stanton City Atty. Thomas W. Allen said he will investigate the legal precedents for a curfew and also seek a report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which provides law enforcement services to the city.

The council must vote on a specific ordinance before a curfew could become law, but a majority of the council members have given initial support to Sapien’s idea.

“I think it’s a great idea if you can enforce it,” Councilman Harry Dotson said after the meeting.

Mayor Don Martinez and Councilman William C. Estrada have also said they support the idea.

Dotson said he is concerned that the Sheriff’s Department does not have enough deputies on the streets to enforce a curfew. “But if it is on the books, it might be a deterrent,” he said.