Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
CHARLESTON — Six young people have been arrested or cited for violating the city's new curfew since it went into effect June 27, according to the Charleston Police Department. “So far so good,” said Police Chief Chito Walker Oct. 21 during a city public safety committee meeting. “We're seeing exactly what we hope we would see with partnerships, with the parents, with the school districts. This is just not an area that you need to be unattended or dropped off by parent, and you can see that impact so far.” While it’s too early to determine the full impact, Walker said, the initial results are promising. Walker updated the committee on the department’s enforcement of the curfew prohibiting anyone under 17, with some exceptions, from a sprawling area downtown popular for nightlife, dining and drinking. City Council passed the limitation in June after King Street business owners complained about large groups of “unruly” teens congregating outside their establishments and in parking lots nearby. That activity has “noticeably decreased,” Walker told the committee. The curfew lasted from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. every night during the summer months of June, July, and August and remains in effect overnight Thursdays through Sundays for the rest of the year. It covers the busiest parts of the city's central business district, including King Street between Carolina and Broad streets, Market Street east of King, and East Bay Street from Market to Broad. There are carve-outs for teens who work in the targeted area, and those out with their parents or attending a school, religious or civic event. No minor has been charged with violating the curfew alone, Walker said, adding that all six who were cited are facing additional charges, though the department didn’t provide any more details on those arrests or citations. The Post and Courier has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the incident reports. It remains unclear what penalty a teenager might face because charges for violating the curfew will be handled in Family Court, which is closed to public inspection. An adult who allows their child to violate the rule could face up to 30 days in jail or a fine up to $500. Officers reported interactions with another 18 kids, most of whom were advised of the new rule and told to leave the area, according to Jillian Eidson, director of Procedural Justice and Research for the department. “So what that's telling us is the majority of those interactions are for low-level advisory encounters rather than arrests," she told the committee. “And so what we're seeing is that this is being used as a precise enforcement tool, while emphasizing outreach over punitive measures.” Still, it’s too early to tell whether the change has had any real impact, Eidson said. She suggested it would take at least a year to test for meaningful differences in the data. “We wanted this to be a deterrent,” said Mayor William Cogswell. “It’s proven to be useful.” Councilmen Mike Seekings and Robert Mitchell, who represent portions of lower and upper King Street, respectively, agreed. “The difference is marked,” Seeking said. “It’s noticeable.” Mitchell said he’s seen “a big difference” saying the new rule has kept safe “a lot of young people who might have been in the system otherwise.” Councilman William Tinkler asked the department to continue monitoring the data to see if there is any impact to overall crime in the city, or elsewhere.
