INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has partnered with community organizations to connect with kids who break curfew.

This weekend, there will be a reunification location where the organization will speak with the kids caught breaking curfew as they wait for their parents to pick them up. The effort stemmed directly from the downtown mass shooting on the Fourth of July weekend that left two dead and five hurt.

This weekend, IMPD will drive around downtown and announce over their loudspeakers 30 minutes before, 15 minutes before, and the time the curfew goes into effect that kids need to go home. If they don’t, officers will identify them, detain them, and take them to the location as they work to contact their parents to come pick them up.

IMPD Assistant Chief Michael Wolley said Wednesday, “This is not an arrest, nor is it criminal in nature. It is a status offense. It will not appear on a permanent record.”

New Breed of Youth mentoring program, known to participants as New B.O.Y., is involved in a partnership with IMPD. Its founder, Kareem Hines, explained Wednesday how kids can be downtown unsupervised. “Some parents say ‘I didn’t know my child was downtown.’ Some parents are saying ‘I sent my child to a friend’s house,’ and then when they go to that friend’s house, that child and that friend sneaks out, and I think that’s where we’re able to come in as community partners to try to deal with the deeper cause of this surface situation.”

When kids violate curfew, New B.O.Y., Let them Talk …, and Voices Corp will have representatives to talk to the children about mentorship, mental health support, education, and job readiness programs.

Hines said, “There’s no correction without connection. I know that if we engage with a young person this weekend it provides us with a opportunity to make a connection not only with that young person, but with that family. Then, we become transformational in the life of that family.”

The representatives will encourage kids to speak with them by having food available to them.

Hines said, “You’d be surprised how much conversation and traction you can make with a kid with a sweet tea, double cheeseburger, and medium fries.”

The reunification center won’t be happening every weekend. IMPD said they’ll open it up when many people and potentially kids are expected downtown, such as school breaks, holidays, or major events.

Previous coverage on WISHTV.com

• Circle City Broadcasting launches $2M campaign to combat youth violence in Indianapolis
• Gov. Braun warns of state action over Indianapolis violence
• Youth mentorship program tries to address youth violence in Indianapolis
• IMPD connects with community after weekend violence
• IMPD announces downtown safe space for juveniles out past curfew
• IMPD’s Teen Academy builds trust between students and police
• Instead of an olive branch, IMPD uses basketball to connect with kids
• IMPD increases police presence after deadly shooting in downtown Indianapolis

Resources

Mental health resources

• Be Well Indiana
• Indiana Suicide Prevention
• Indiana Department of Child Services’ Children’s Mental Health Initiative
• National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988 or 800-273-8255
• More resources

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