High School Curfew Law

This week, the Riverdale High School student council had to cancel its annual charity Bowl-a-Thon-not because of a lack of interest, not because of a shortage of funds, and not because of an inadequate number of enthusiastic volunteers. The student council had to cancel the popular charity event because the Bowl-a-Thon would cause participants to violate the law. The Riverdale city council’s new curfew law is an attempt to crack down on a perceived rise in teenage crime. Under the new law, anyone under the age of eighteen found in a public area after 10:00 P.M. on weekdays or 11:00 P.M. on weekends will be fined or jailed. While something should be done about teenage crime, the measure is a reckless overreaction on the city council’s part to the complaints of a few influential business owners and groups. Because the new curfew law is unfair and unnecessary, it should be repealed. The curfew law will have absolutely no effect on the city’s crime rate. Most crimes are not committed by teenagers. According to the Riverdale Police …show more content…
Diane McCasland, the Riverdale police chief, says, “The curfew won’t do a thing, except to make officers waste their time enforcing it.” According to a recent poll, only 5 percent of police officers support the new law. When asked what would help stop city crime, 93 percent of the officers polled said more officers and equipment, not new laws, are needed to reduce the crime. Some people will correctly point out that many cities in the region have instituted curfew laws in the past twelve months. The fact is, however, that they have had very little success. According to the Riverdale Gazette, neighboring Hillview’s eight-month-old curfew law has had no effect on the city’s crime rate, while Springdale’s and Morgan’s laws have been followed by an increase in overall crime. Is there any reason to think Riverdale’s results will be any