Fort Dodge curfew backers see signs of success
New law aims to keep kids off the streets at nightsBy BILL SHEA, Messenger staff writer
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Fact Box
Anyone under age 12 cannot be out in public from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Anyone ages 12, 13 and 14 cannot be out in public from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Anyone ages 15, 16 and 17 cannot be out in public from 12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m.
The long, bright midsummer evenings in Iowa seem tailor-made for going out and having fun with friends.
Every night hundreds of young people in Fort Dodge do just that. But while they're spending the endless summer nights playing ball, riding bikes, or just hanging out, the kids now need to pay attention to the time.
For about seven months, the city has had a curfew in place to get young people off the streets as a crime prevention measure. There are financial consequences for violating it, as some young people and their parents have found.
Assistant Police Chief Kevin Doty said 15 people have been cited for curfew violations.
These are the curfew hours:
9 p.m. to 5 a.m. for anyone under 12;
10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for anyone ages 12, 13 and 14;
12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m. for anyone ages 15, 16 and 17;
People become exempt from the curfew upon turning 18.
There are some exceptions to the curfew. Kids are exempt from it if they are out during curfew hours with their parents. They are also exempt if they're at work, school activities, church or cultural events.
Violators can face fines of up to $500.
The curfew was created over the course of three months last year during a series of meetings that packed the Fort Dodge City Council meeting room with teenagers.
Doty said police officers working the night shift feel the curfew is working.
''Officers on both of those teams felt like they are seeing less kids out than they did before the curfew was put in place,'' he said. ''They feel that the kids and parents are concerned and are trying to follow the curfew.''
He said the law's impact is noticeable on the City Square, which has traditionally been a nighttime gathering place. Now there are fewer young people spotted there, he said.
''I think the kids have been doing really good,'' said Councilman Curt Olson, who believes the curfew has been effective.
Council members Matt Bemrich, Dave Flattery and Cindy Litwiller said they think it's too soon to declare the curfew a success or a failure.
Bemrich said the council will review the curfew in the fall. What happens during the rest of the summer months, he said, will provide a good measure of the law's effectiveness.
Councilman Don Wilson is skeptical about the curfew's usefulness.
''I think all it was meant to be was to put it on the books in case they needed it,'' he said. ''I think the majority of the kids don't pay any attention to it.''
Parents can face a criminal charge if the police become convinced they didn't take steps to make sure their children obey the curfew. Gary Vought, of Gowrie, found that out the hard way. He appeared in Webster County Magistrate Court on June 20 on a charge of allowing a minor to be out after curfew. He was fined $182.
Vought said his 13-year-old daughter, Nicole, was spending the night in Fort Dodge with a friend when she was caught after curfew.
''The other parent was supposed to be responsible, but I was the one who got cited,'' he said.
He said his other daughter, Ashley, 16, was also caught out past curfew.
''They are teenage girls,'' Vought said. ''Besides locking them in their bedroom, what more could I do? If I locked them in their bedroom I'd probably get charged with child abuse.''
Messenger staff writer Katie Williams contributed to this story.
Contact Bill Shea at bshea@messengernews.net or Katie Williams at katie@messengernews.net
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BonJovi
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07-01-08 4:22 PM
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This is sad. How loosely do they define "cultural event"?
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hybernation
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06-29-08 1:59 PM
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I think the cerfew is a great idea there's no reason kids cant follow it, unless they're guilty of something, & trying to hide it, also it keeps kids out of harms way from adults that commit criminal activity maybe.
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serpico
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06-29-08 10:42 AM
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I have had some concerns regarding this curfew from the beginning. It seems like a quick and dirty feel good law that has potential for other problems. One concern I have is the kids relocating their social gatherings to more isolated areas. I wonder what the measure in the fall will be, just a few official's opinions or hopefully something more objective and accurate.
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Spiffy
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06-28-08 1:36 PM
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I still say this is sad. Most people generally did not need another reason to dislike FD but, the city went ahead and gave the world one anyway. Progressive cities don't have curfews, they have vibrant neighborhoods with dialogue that takes place among all walks of life in the community. Fort Dodge has built new subdivisions to let people build outward even further while the city is still losing people. The end result is more vacant neighborhoods where kids hang out and create the perceived need for curfews. Get it together FD before you lose everyone!
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Xdodger76
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06-28-08 9:26 AM
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Great job FD you are trying to get things back on a more positive footing. Keep up the good work. Oh parents you are the boss of your kids and you can tell them NO!and yes I have 3 one on there own and one in college and one in high school.
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Frankiethesax
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06-28-08 8:04 AM
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Great another law on the books for this country. Maybe the parents of these kids should have made sure their kids are in the house sooner before they made this law. In the end it is not the kids but the parents that allow their youngsters free reign to do whatever they want whenever they want to. If the parents where more responsible with their children the city would have not had to do this.
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firefly94
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06-28-08 12:57 AM
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This is an inconvienience sometimes for parents but it is still one of the best things the city administration did for our children. If I got fined after doing all I could to keep my child in after curfew, I would pay it without complaining. Then my children would have only minimal privileges until the fine was completely paid back to me or some luxery item would be removed until the fine was paid back in full. Parents can only do so much--after that the child has to take responsibility if he/she proves not to be trustworthy. Thank you Mayor Lutz & city council people for the curfew! You did a really good thing!
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