With the end of the school year and the start of summer vacation, the Lafayette Police Department is focusing on juvenile curfew violations in the city.
The Lafayette Police Department hosted a meeting Wednesday with members of our Community Relations Committee, juvenile organizations and members of the 15th Judicial Court system to focus on the recent increase of juvenile curfew violations.
The Lafayette Police Department says they will be focusing on juvenile curfew violations due to an increase in violent crimes, car burglaries and trespassing when curfew hours are in effect.
Any person under 17 years of age who has not been emancipated under Louisiana law is not allowed to be in public areas between the hours of 11:00 pm and 6:00 am Sunday through Thursday and are not allowed to be out on Fridays and Saturdays between the hours of 12:00 am and 6:00 am.
Minors who are working, driving to or from work, performing a reasonable activity or who are with an adult guardian or parent can be out past curfew, a release clarifies.
Officials say that the curfew operation has been put in place across the city limits where officers will be focusing on locating and identifying those minors found to be out in public areas past curfew. Violators will be apprehended and parents will be issued a written notice of the violation upon the juvenile being returned. A request for prosecution will be submitted to the District Attorney’s Office for review for repeat juvenile offenders.
The Lafayette Police Department says they will have a zero tolerance for violation of curfew.
“We asked that parents and guardians of minors please be mindful of their whereabouts at all times and notify police if the minor is not at your residence when curfew hours are in effect to avoid costly fines and/or jail time,” a press release states.
