Miami police this week began enforcing a curfew that affects teens living in the Miami-Dade area. An ordinance forbids children under the age of 17 to be out on the streets alone from 11 pm to 6 am, Sunday through Thursday. Exceptions to the ordinance include traveling for work, traveling with a parent, running an errand with written permission from a parent, and traveling to or from school or other events.
The Miami Herald is quoting the Miami police as stating the curfew enforcement is not a response to recent shootings. A string of shootings last weekend left two 16-year-olds dead and some communities are becoming restless for police action.
Instead, a Miami police spokesperson told the Miami newspaper that the curfew is related to the upcoming spring break, when school kids will be out of school.
This is not the first time that Miami police have instituted a curfew for teens. Enforcement of the law is normally stepped up during the summer months, when teens are out of school. The Juvenile Curfew Ordinance has been on the books in Miami for nearly two decades, but it is only in recent years that the Miami police have been using the curfew as a tool to curb violence involving teens.