As a 30-day curfew for the youth of Prince George’s County, Maryland, comes to an end Monday night, leaders are calling the experiment a success.
“We’ve been happy, you know, so far, with the results,” County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said. “We’re not done.”
In early September, officials imposing the curfew for teens 16 and under following the deadliest month in county history were met with mixed reaction.
Under the curfew, young people must be inside between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and between 11:59 p.m. and 5 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
“Most of our carjackings were happening between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., and what we have seen is a dramatic decrease in the number of those cases involving juveniles,” Alsobrooks said.
According to the latest data available, police say juvenile crimes dropped significantly in September. County officials say Prince George’s County police interacted with four juveniles since the curfew started – the latest a 14-year-old boy accused of drag racing in his mother’s car early Thursday.
“We may have saved his life and we believe we saved other lives also, so that’s really what this is about,” Alsobrooks said.
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County officials say they still have to review the data and it’s too early to tell if they will push to make the curfew permanent.
“I continue to be so grateful to all of the families who really stepped up,” Alsobrooks said. “This could not have been successful without them, and by success, the way we define success is the engagement of parents and families to help us keep their children safe.”
County leaders say they will review the numbers over the next few days and present more information to the public next week.
Curfew violation is punishable by a written notice and warning for a first-time violation with penalties escalating to $50 for another offense, $100 for a next offense and $250 for subsequent offenses.