San Juan adopts curfew law to curb juvenile crime
SAN JUAN — Law enforcement and city officials plan to implement a curfew law to curb juvenile crime in San Juan after a recent spike in criminal activity.
"The past couple of months we've seen a lot of crime involving teens," said San Juan police Chief Juan Gonzalez. "And most of our crime is committed during the night."
The new law was created after police realized teenagers from surrounding cities were coming to San Juan to commit petty crimes here.
"They were doing anything from egging cars to smashing mailboxes to shooting homes with BB guns," Gonzalez said. "A lot of it is from association with gangs, but others are just committing criminal mischief."
Cities like Alamo, Pharr and McAllen already have curfew laws in place, so teens often travel to San Juan, where they are free to wander unsupervised.
But that will change Aug. 10, when the new law is implemented. Gonzalez said parents are being given a 60-day grace period to familiarize themselves with the law.
"It's time to hold parents accountable," the chief said. "We want to control the streets a little bit more."
Under the new law, anyone 17 or younger must be accompanied by a parent or guardian from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday night through Thursday night.
On Friday and Saturday nights, they will be allowed to stay out until midnight.
Parents or guardians of first-time offenders will be fined $100. A second offense will cost the caretaker $250, and a third will cost $500.
According to the Texas Youth Commission, jurisdictions implementing curfew laws must show a compelling state interest in creating the law and must "narrowly tailor the means to achieve the law's objective," according to the agency's Web site.
Gonzalez said officers will use discretion when enforcing the law, only citing those teenagers who are "up to no good." Allowances will be made for teens who work or are involved in extracurricular activities.
"We want to be fair," the chief said.
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Ana Ley covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4428.
