Teen Curfew Extended Through Year's End In Prince George's County: Officials

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — The teen curfew in place in Prince George's County will be extended through the end of the year, County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks said this week.

The curfew began Sept. 9 after a baby was shot, four people were killed and several others injured Labor Day weekend. It restricts teens 17 and younger from being out past set times. It was set to expire Wednesday.

In the two weeks since the curfew was enacted, only a couple of incidents surfaced in the areas where the curfew can be enforced, reported WUSA.

Alsobrooks and Prince George's County Police Chief Malik Aziz said at a news conference this week that the curfew has been successful. They cited a decline in certain crimes involving teens and more engagement from members of the community and parents.

“We are not done yet,” Alsobrooks said. “There is still so much work to do … but we are really pleased with what we’ve seen so far.”

Overall crime has decreased by 20 percent during the hours of the curfew in the first month of enforcement, between Sept. 9 and Oct. 11, compared to the previous 30 days, officials reported. Carjackings, contact shootings and violent crime in general also dropped during that timeframe, The Washington Post reported.

“The curfew was not meant to be punitive to our children, but to require parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles … to step up and do what was necessary to protect our kids,” Alsobrooks said.

Alsobrooks admitted that many young people, including her own daughter, were less than impressed with the curfew.

However, some communities are not enforcing the curfew, Patch reported previously.

“In Bowie we have the city charter that does not allow us to enforce Prince George’s County ordinances,” Bowie Police Chief John Nesky told WTOP.

Police in Greenbelt also will not be enforcing the curfew. Hyattsville Police Chief Jarod Towers harbors concerns about the curfew, too.

“We can’t just stop people and verify their age and say ‘How old are you; what are you doing on the street?’ We’re not going to be increasing our enforcement efforts to focus on targeting people out after certain hours just to verify their age,” he said.

Read more:

• Youth Curfew Enacted After Baby Shot, Several Killed Labor Day Weekend
• Youth Curfew Won't Be Enforced In Bowie, Other Communities
• 2 Teen Curfew Violations Reported In Two Weeks: PG County Officials