§ 16-41. Findings.

(a)

Children are committing crimes in steadily increasing numbers. The number of crimes committed by children has increased dramatically over the past several years. The chief of police has maintained statistics for calendar years 1999 and 2000, which show an overall increase in the number of persons under the age of eighteen who have been arrested for crimes, as follows:

	1999	2000
Homicide	0	1
Larceny	9	20
Drugs	7	22
Simple assault	4	5
Misc. other arrests	1	52

 

(b)

Children are particularly vulnerable to being victims of crime such as robbery, assault and battery, and sexual offenses. Children are generally smaller than adults, less likely themselves to be in possession of a weapon, and less able to defend themselves. They are therefore perceived to be easier targets by those persons inclined to commit crimes. This peculiar vulnerability is generally increased during late night hours because persons who are inclined to commit crimes can do so with a lower risk of apprehension, because there is often little or no parental or adult supervision under such circumstances. Additionally, children are less likely to perceive the imminent risk of becoming the victim of a crime. They are under an additional threat of sex crimes because of perception that children are less likely to be believed if they report having been the victim of a sex crime.

(c)

Children are very often unable to make critical decisions in an informed and mature manner. This inability exposes them to a greater risk than exists for adults of becoming the victims of crime. This greater risk is enhanced even further during late night hours.

(d)

The general inability of children to make critical decisions in an informed, mature manner also exposes them to influences which lead to their committing crimes. Children perceive even less risk of apprehension if they commit crimes at night. This is compounded because children often see no real risk of being or in being punished for a crime.

(e)

Virtually no parent wants his or her child to commit crimes or to be a victim of a crime.

(f)

Most parents make great efforts to protect their children from the dangers of crime. Most parents make informed choices as to what to allow their children to do. Parents occasionally lose control of their children. Sometimes children lie to their parents about what they, the children, are doing at night. Some children ignore parental curfews. Some parents must work nights, and their children leave home despite parental curfews.

(g)

The parents of the city have demanded that the city help them with their children. Parents want the chief of police to assure that when their children are out at night the children are out with the parents' permission.

(Ord. No. 2001-07, § 1, 7-2-01)