Staff photo / Dan Pompili Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, left, stands with Guy Burney, coordinator for the City Initiative to Reduce Violence at the podium in a briefing room at City Hall on Monday morning. Police Chief Carl Davis, right, and Mahoning County Juvenile Court Magistrate Gina DeGenova (not pictured), also spoke.

YOUNGSTOWN — The curfew for juveniles is still in effect and parents are the first line of enforcement.

That was the message from city officials at a Monday news conference at Youngstown City Hall, hosted by Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, police Chief Carl Davis, City Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV) coordinator Guy Burney and Mahoning County Juvenile Court Magistrate Gina DeGenova. The city ordinance, which has been in place since at least 2018, states that all city residents under the age of 18 are expected to be off the streets between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.

“I was out this weekend and someone said ‘I’m glad you’re bringing the curfew back,'” Brown said. “The curfew never went anywhere, and today we want to educate parents and guardians of juveniles that they should be in at a certain time.”

Brown said the purpose of the curfew reminder is not just to restate the city’s rules, but also to educate the community about the resources available for supporting struggling juveniles and families.

The mayor and other officials emphasized the role of parents in helping to ensure juveniles are where they should be.

“My mother was my main enforcer of curfew. No matter where I was going, she wanted to know what time I was going to be back, who was going to be the adult with me, and if I didn’t have an adult, I probably was not going,” Brown said.

Chief Davis noted that of the city’s homicides this year, at least two victims were 18 or 19 years old and several suspects were juveniles. Juveniles also are known to be stealing and vandalizing cars across Mahoning County, including those known as the “Kia Boys” for exploiting a manufacturing flaw in some Kia and Hyundai vehicles that makes them easier to steal.

But he echoed Brown’s sentiments that the curfew is intended as a tool to help kids, families and the community.

“Let me be clear, these measures are not meant to be punitive or punish our young people. This is a proactive step intended to safeguard the well-being of our young people and to reduce juvenile crime in our city,” he said. “The Youngstown Police Department remains committed to providing resources for families to help them comply with the curfew. These resources will include informational materials and community outreach programs, and I am optimistic that the juvenile curfew along with strong parental cooperation will yield positive results in reducing juvenile crime in our city.”

Burney stressed that the curfew is just as much for children’s safety as to prevent them from getting into legal trouble.

“Just this past weekend, at one of our local bars, there was a curfew arrest of a young person downtown after 11 p.m. Why did (our police officers) have to intervene? Because if something happens at that place that involves adults, this child, this young person can be an innocent bystander,” he said. “And so it is critical that parents be involved in this process. Authority is not about punishment, it’s about protection.”

Burney referenced the national public service announcement from the 1960s and 1970, asking parents: “(It’s 10 p.m.), do you know where your children are?” But Burney said it is also important to know who is with them.

“Because if they’re with the wrong people, it can cause havoc in your family’s life,” he said. “This is an opportunity we have to keep our families safe.”

DeGenova made it clear that the curfew and the supporting practices by the police and courts also are tools to keep offenders in line. She said Chief Probation Officer Tim Novak and his team will be conducting night visits during the summer for those on probation

“So, this is a message to everyone out there who’s on probation: be where you’re supposed to be, because our probation officers are going to be coming and checking on you, and if you are not home during the curfew period, that could have an impact on your probation.”

DeGenova said the court’s collaboration with the city is also an opportunity to provide valuable services like drug and alcohol assessments and counseling services, as well as holding parents accountable.

“We want to assist and help these juveniles get the services they need,” she said. “We ‘ve got diversion, we’ve got assistance that could help parents who are struggling, and we also have the ability to hold parents accountable as well. We have the ability to get (Mahoning County Children’s Services Bureau) involved if we find that there’s a neglect situation going on in the home and that’s the reason why the children aren’t where they are supposed to be.”

DeGenova said the city ordinance gives the police and court the right to cite or arrest adults whose children are repeatedly violating the curfew or causing other problems. The first offense is a minor misdemeanor, but she said a second offense within a year can lead to an aggravated first-degree misdemeanor charge. DeGenova said the county has put parents in jail.

“From the court’s perspective, we will review each case and we have had situations in the past where parents did receive a term of incarceration because we have repeat offenders and the facts justified that sanction,” she said.

Youngstown Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th Ward, said she believes it is important to hold parents accountable for their children.

“You keep saying that’s where it begins but if there are no repercussions, we’re just going to have an endless cycle of picking the kid up and bringing them home,” she said. “There has to come a time when we take a little harder position so that the police officers aren’t on this endless cycle of picking the kid up and taking them home and then an hour later he’s back on the street. We can’t be using our officers that way. And I would just like to know that it’s not just going to be warning after warning.”

Brown and others said they will review each incident independently and address it as needed, either imposing sanctions or providing helpful services depending upon the family’s circumstances and the adult’s and children’s records.

“Our officers are on the street and they know where the repeat offenders are,” Brown said. “I think (depending on) if a parent shows us that they are gonna help with supporting the curfew and show us that it’s not going to happen again, or they just say ‘hey, you deal with it’ then we have to take those steps.”

“Sometimes parents are overwhelmed, sometimes they just need some assistance or some education and we’re willing and able to do that once they’re within our jurisdiction,” DeGenova said.