Juvenile Curfew and Crime

The Temple Police Department supports the City of Temple’s Juvenile Curfew Ordinance for many reasons.

• First and foremost, it serves to keep the juveniles themselves protected from entering into late-night situations that may prove dangerous to them.
• Second, it is a highly effective deterrent to underage, would be offenders, as it prevents them from being able to move around easily in late night hours.
• Third, when a juvenile is caught after curfew, it provides the Police Officer a means by which to identify the problem, report it to a parent or guardian, and return the youth home to a safer environment.

Here is a very general outline of the city's Juvenile Curfew Ordinance, and the standard means by which it is enforced:

• Sunday through Thursday nights: unaccompanied juveniles age 16 and under must be home by 11 p.m., and until 6 a.m. (unless traveling to or from or attending a school, church, or job-related function)
• Friday and Saturday nights: same rules, but time is extended to midnight (to 6 a.m.)

The City Code of Ordinances and all of its specific rules and definitions is also available.

When caught by police, a juvenile receives a Field Release Citation and is returned to a parent or legal guardian. The first 2 offenses are of a warning nature with no fine levied. The 3rd and subsequent offenses prior to the youth's 17th birthday carry fines.

Parents and guardians, as well as business owners, who knowingly allow juveniles to violate curfew can be cited for allowing juvenile curfew violations to occur. There are no warning citations for those offenses.