Another local city has done away with its curfew for minors in order to come into compliance with a new state law.
The Richardson City Council decommissioned the ordinance during a council meeting on August 28.
HB 1819, which the 88th Texas Legislature passed earlier this year, requires “political subdivisions” across the state to do away with curfew ordinances for juveniles. Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill into law in June. It took effect on September 1.
The City of Frisco opted to abolish its curfew for juveniles to comply with the then-upcoming law during its August 15 meeting, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Richardson has had juvenile curfew laws in place since 1994. The ordinance forbade people under the age of 17 from being out in the city between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 12:01 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
A city memo recommending the repeal of the curfew ordinance stated that such measures have been “ineffective” in reducing crime.
“Additionally, results indicate juvenile curfews often result in adverse outcomes for youth in school and lead to future interactions with the justice system,” reads the memo. “Overall, HB 1819 strives to ensure all minors in the state of Texas have the opportunity to succeed without the burden of a criminal record early in life resulting from the enforcement of a juvenile curfew ordinance.”
While the city found that doing away with the ordinance was “in the interest of the public,” some officials disagreed with the repeal. Richardson City Manager Don Magner said the city would have renewed the ordinance if not for the new state law. He said the curfew was a “good tool” to have to address local issues, according to Community Impact.
However, Magner said the city still has other ordinances to discourage criminal activity.
“In terms of things like local control, it does bother me because I believe that the citizens of Richardson should be able to make that decision about Richardson,” said Magner, per Community Impact. “It just continues to erode our ability to customize our community and to be responsive to what our residents say.”
