INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Five weeks after the July 4 weekend mass shooting that left two teens killed, Indianapolis City-County councilors on Monday approved a stricter youth curfew.

It passed with 23 votes.

Under the new ordinance, public safety curfew for teens 15 to 16 years old starts at 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. On Sundays to Thursdays, it’s 9 p.m.

For those under 15, the new curfew is set for 9 p.m.

Curfew for 17-year-olds remain unchanged, thanks to an amendment.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the City-County Council said “the public safety curfew is a temporary earlier curfew set during times of heightened community safety concerns to keep minors off the street sooner.”

It will be in place for 120 days before council moves to change or extend it.

Standard curfew hours

• Ages 15 – 17: Must be off public streets between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday.
• Under 15: Must be off public streets between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. every day.

Public safety curfew hours:

• Ages 15 – 16: Must be off public streets by 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and by 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; curfew ends at 5 a.m. each day.
• Under 15: Must be off public streets by 9 p.m. every day; curfew ends at 5 a.m.

But critics aren’t confident that the curfew will do much of anything without consequences to the violators and holding their parents accountable.

At the meeting, Councilor Michael-Paul Hart introduced parental accountability measures. It includes:

• Written notice for a child’s first curfew offense
• $500 fine for a second offense
• $1,500 fine for a third or subsequent offense

The proposal will be discussed by the committee and will be voted on in the next full session Sept. 8.

Leroy Robinson, chair of the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee, says the updates are about keeping neighborhoods secure and young people safe.

“The earlier curfew hours, combined with stronger accountability for parents, give us another tool to prevent dangerous situations before they happen,” he said. “We are grateful to our colleagues, (the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department), and community partners for working together on a measure that focuses on prevention, encourages parents to take an active role, and works hand in hand with law enforcement to protect our youth.”

City-County Council President Vop Osili addressed why it took time. “The reason it has is because its been a thoughtful process. We’re talking about something that happened July 5. Right? We don’t want to rush into something that deals with public safety or deal with our children, and what we do needs to be thoughtful and bringing in as many factors as we possibly can.”

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