City may tighten juvenile curfew

HPD is tired of arresting juvenile delinquents at night, and it's not going to stand for it anymore — assuming the city agrees. Under a proposed change to the city's curfew ordinance, kids under age 17 would have to be home by 10 p.m. every day of the year. That's a change from the current policy, which allows kids under 17 to stay out until midnight Fridays and Saturdays. It's that midnight curfew, police say, that is leading to a lot of crime: So far this year, officers say they've arrested 2,500 juveniles committing crimes betwen 10 and 11 p.m. "They may be involved in thefts, assaultive behavior or other behaviors like that. But the 10:00 to 11:00 hour is important, in that we want to make sure that juveniles do not become victims of crimes," HPD Assistant Chief Michael Thaler told KTRK.

As expcted, the proposal seems to be going over well with parents, but it's not so popular with kids. "If you could drive, I think you shouldn't have to come in the house early," 14-year-old Iris Grant said. "If you're my age, yeah, you should come in the house early." Of course, there would be exceptions to the curfew law: Kids coming home from work, church, civic fuunctions or school activities could be out past 10 p.m., as could kids who are with their parents. We guess the delinquents will just have to start taking Mom and Dad with them on their late-night crime sprees.