YOUNGSTOWN — Juveniles and their parents can expect to see more attention being paid to kids out in the neighborhoods after 11 p.m., city officials said Wednesday.

Mayor Jamael Tito Brown brought Law Director Jeff Limbian, Youngstown police Chief Carl Davis and Capt. Jason Simon of the detective division, and Guy Burney, coordinator of the city’s Community Initiative to Reduce Violence, to the police department to bring attention to potential dangers children face late on summer nights.

“Things tend to heat up when people are out more and more frequently,” Brown said. “We know there are opportunities for our young people to get into things, but we also know there are opportunities for us to offer them different services and opportunities where they are safe.”

Beginning Wednesday night, juvenile sweeps will occur. Brown said it will include talking to juveniles and families to let them know what’s allowed and what’s not.

He said having the police department and staff of CIRV and other “community partners” working together on this is adding “another layer” of effort to keeping the community safe.

NEW PARTNERSHIP

Davis said the city’s curfew is not new. But this partnership, which also includes the Mahoning County Juvenile Justice Center, is designed to keep juveniles safe.

“Additionally, curfews give parents a peace of mind knowing that their children are not out on the streets late at night.”

He mentioned the recent rash of Kia and Hyundai automobiles being stolen in the city: “We find that these vehicles are typically used for joyriding and other illegal activities.”

He said the curfew is one way to address it. Parents and guardians also should educate the youth on the consequences of their actions.

Limbian then explained that adults can face several types of misdemeanor charges if their child violates curfew, including a charge that could place the adult in the county jail for six months. The child can also be charged criminally, officials said.

“If parents continue and if guardians continue to allow their children to be out past curfew, they are also going to be in trouble,” Limbian said.

Burney said CIRV representatives will be talking to children and adults during the “sweep” because “the safety of their lives depend on it. We want to assist parents and adults make sure their children are safe. One of the biggest risk factors there is, is when children — especially middle school and junior high children — are unsupervised.

“We want to mitigate that by going out and working with our partners and resourcing the families of Youngstown.”

Simon said it’s important for police officers and their partners “to be out there and ask those juveniles, if it is past 11 p.m.,’What are you doing here?'” He added: “Oftentimes we find that the parents don’t know their kids are out past (11 p.m.), and that’s important — that they should know what their children are doing.”

London Jones, 13, was shot to death May 18 on the sidewalk along Carroll Street on the South Side during a dispute at a little after midnight involving adults. Shamara C. Green, 29, of Lauderdale Avenue, was charged with murder in the case. It happened during an alcohol-fueled party atmosphere, police said.

On April 15, Amya Monserrat, 15, was killed by errant gunfire during a dispute involving two groups of people outside of Martha’s Boulevard Bar and Grill on Southern Boulevard. Danyo Sellers, 16, is charged with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder in the episode. Also charged with complicity to murder in the case is Saun M. Peterson, 20.