COMMERCE : State Curfew Law to Be Enforced

If you are under 18 and don’t have a reason to be out after 10 p.m., it may cost you or your parents as much as $675 beginning next month.

The City Council has endorsed a plan to step up enforcement of the state curfew law, under which youths ages 14 to 17 would face hefty fines for being on the streets after hours.

The plan, called the Curfew Enforcement Program, was drafted by officials from Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina’s office, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Hill Street Juvenile Traffic Court and the district attorney’s office.

It has been in effect in unincorporated areas since early last year, and Commerce is expected to formally adopt it by mid-February, officials said.

The city decided to adopt the program after numerous complaints about youths--some from neighboring cities--loitering and vandalizing property at night.

Lt. Tom Angel of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s East Los Angeles station, which patrols the Commerce area, said the fine is meant to hold parents--who are legally responsible for paying it--accountable for their children’s actions.

Since 1993, law enforcement officers have been able to write citations in the field rather than arrest and book youths--a time-consuming process that officials believe held down enforcement of the curfew.

Even so, many officers declined to issue citations because curfew violations were not deemed to be serious violations. Judges typically gave youths light fines, usually well under $100, Angel said.

Under the new program, parents or guardians can avoid paying the fines by enrolling themselves and their children in special city-run parenting and counseling classes that are free of charge.

The curfew exempts youths who are on their way to or from work or organized school or social activities. Youths detained under the program will be issued tickets and then released with a promise to appear in juvenile court with a parent or guardian.

“This allows the department (officers) to cite juveniles and remain in the field instead of booking them at the station and waiting for a parent or guardian to pick them up,” Angel said.

Failure to appear in court results in a no-bail warrant, which means that if the youth is apprehended, he or she will be taken to juvenile hall and held there until a court date is determined.