The Philadelphia City Council overwhelmingly passed legislation Dec. 1 instituting a 10 p.m. permanent curfew for children and teens under 18.
The bill passed by a 15-1 vote and will head to Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney’s desk to be signed, NBC Philadelphia reported. Over the summer, Philadelphia enacted a temporary curfew as violent crime surged, requiring 14-17 year-olds to be inside by 10 p.m. and children 13 and younger to be inside by 9:30 p.m., according to NBC Philadelphia.
City Council approved a permanent 10 p.m. curfew for children and teens under the age of 18 in Philadelphia. https://t.co/MZNMZdsCzQ
— NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) December 2, 2022
Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson proposed the legislation to protect young people from violence. She said “there are too many young people who have been involved in crime or criminal incidents simply because they have been out late at night,” CBS News reported. (RELATED: Progressive Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner Impeached Amid Rise In Crime)
Richardson said the legislation will not punish curfew violators, saying “the first step is to try to reunify them with their family. If that’s unable to happen, then we’ll take them to a community resource evening center if they are close. If not, they go to the police district.”
The legislation expands curfew center hours to 2 a.m. and requires the police department to report on how it is enforcing the law. Philadelphia has been grappling with a surge in violent crime, with overall shootings going up 3% and all violent crime up 7% from last year, Axios reported.
Robberies in which perpetrators used guns are up 60% and property crimes are up 30% from 2021, Axios added. The city’s homicides are on pace to be 8% lower than last year, police data shows.