Links[]
Media[]
- Penn Hills starts 10:30 pm curfew in June, 2006, in the Post-Gazette
- Young people (17 and under) in Penn Hills must be in by 10:30 weeknights. It will be enforced. Underage people will not be permitted on streets or in parks or business places without parents or guardians between 10:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 11:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
- Penn Hills Public Safety Director Ron Machesky. Mayor Anthony DeLuca said sounding the sirens would remind youngsters about the time and the need to go home. But he said the siren sound should be short and not at all like a fire call.
- Councilman Dr. J-Lavon Kincaid said the law will go a long way in helping to keep Penn Hills youngsters safe. "[The law ensures] juveniles aren't being victims of crimes or committing crimes," he said.
- Under the law, Penn Hills police officers can pick up youngsters who are violating the curfew and take them to the municipal police station, where parents will be called and the children held until the parents arrive. Depending on circumstances, the police may also take children home. If a parent can't be found, the child could be turned over to a relative or trusted adult. In a worst case scenario, if no adult comes forward for hours, the child could be turned over to juvenile authorities. The police will issue citations, keep records of them and note the number of curfew violations a youngster has.
- Fines for the first three offenses will be $25 each. After that, fines between $50 and $300 can be levied, at the discretion of the Magisterial District Judge.
Background[]
Pittsburgh used to operate a curfew center downtown.
The center was to be moved to a closed, West End, zone police station. Closing the station caused a great deal of trouble for the mayor and the residents. Putting in the curfew center into the same location met great objections from citizens and from city council member, Alan Hertzberg.
The funding, operation, and a relocation of the curfew center in Pittsburgh gave another example of how Mayor Tom Murphy could not move forward his agenda. The abrasive actions of the city's administration blew the curfew center into a deep state of nothingness.
Contractors were hired to do work on the building, without the getting the necessary costs approved. At the same time, city's painters were laid off. Then questions were raised as to who was doing the work and how was that work going to be funded? City Council needs to approve all expenses. A plan for the building's reuse never came before City Council.
Now closed 
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The curfew center could no longer operate because the contracted operators could not be paid. The annual cost of the contractors was $250K for operations of the curfew center.
Harsh attitudes to youth. 
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Some on city council, including Gene Ricciardi, have a heavy handed approach with dealing with the youth. Grafitti vandals, neighborhood thugs, intimidation and other bad boy behaviors have been mounting and are hard to police. Supervision for the youth should not be the same as for an adult.
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Insights[]
2009[]
Blog from Matt H [1][]
Mayor Ravenstahl's office announced today that a curfew center will be up and operating in the near future. For a few years now there has been little to no enforcement of the curfew law on the books because of a lack of a center to transport the youths who found in violation of the law.
Three Rivers Youth – will soon be operating the new city curfew center at their Oakland site located at 200 North Dithridge Street. Three Rivers Youth is a non-profit organization.
Youths found to be in violation of the City’s curfew will be brought to the center and immediately assessed by intake counselors. The Center is set to open May 1, 2009. Ten staff members, made up of a supervisor and outreach counselors will be identifying which services youths need. Such services may include family-based support and counselors will ultimately coordinate an action plan for connecting youths with appropriate community-based services.
2008[]
City Considers Reopening Youth Curfew Center[]
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― After a recent string of shootings in the city, Pittsburgh police say they are beginning to look for juveniles out past the curfew.
Now, city officials say they are hoping to reopen a youth curfew center.
"We are having those discussions," said Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. "It is a goal of ours to open the curfew center once again. We're not quite there yet."
Four years ago, Pittsburgh did have a Truancy & Curfew Center, where kids younger than 17 years of age were taken when they were found roaming the streets after curfew.
Also, at the time $100,000 was spent to renovate the West End Police Station, but budget cuts and the center's low rate of use shut the doors. The building is once more a working police station.
A judge says a curfew center is essential to keeping kids out past curfew off the streets.
But some local teens don't like the idea.
"I don't think it's cool. They shouldn't be doing that to us," said Akile Hodge, 16-years-old. "It's summertime we should have our fun."
In July and August, the city's curfew requires that children younger than 17 are off the streets by 11 p.m. and by midnight on the weekends.
City officials say they may also partner on the project with the school district to include truancy programs.
In the meantime, police say they will be warning violators and calling parents or guardians if possible, and Children, Youth and Family Services will only be brought in if a child appears to be at risk from substance or physical abuse.