Council Makes Daytime Youth Curfew a Law

A divided City Council on Monday approved making the city’s experimental daytime curfew for schoolchildren a permanent local law.

“We have debated this issue for a year,” said Councilman Steve Berry, who was part of the 3-2 majority that approved the law. “The sky is not falling. . . . We did not have a perfect law before us, but we can modify this law. It’s flexible.”

Under the law, youths stopped by police between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on school days face fines starting at $100 and running up to $500 for repeat violations. The truants can avoid fines by attending mediation, and there are exemptions for those being home-schooled or who otherwise have valid excuses for being out of school.

A coalition of law enforcement agencies urged all 31 of the county’s cities to adopt similar ordinances last year, succeeding only in Buena Park, La Habra and Seal Beach.

About 30 people debated the law at Monday’s meeting, with many contending it violates the constitutional rights of children.

“I am very scared of any law that allows police to stop citizens who have not committed any crime,” Buena Park resident Kevin Krylo said.

Police Chief Richard M. Tefank has countered that since the curfew began a year ago, daytime crimes and juvenile arrests dropped considerably.

Council members Patsy Marshall and Jerry Sigler voted against the measure, saying the school districts, not the city, should be fighting truancy.