Curfew to keep kids in at night

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Kevin Killough
Staff writer

GALLUP — It’s 11 o’clock, do you know where your children are? You better. At last night’s Gallup City Council meeting, the mayor and council approved an ordinance that will summon parents to court if they don’t come pick up their children who have been out past curfew. The city also approved a measure that will make it illegal for drivers to engage in any activity that will distract them from driving, including using a cell phone.

The Parent and Child Responsibility Ordinance allows police to detain minors out after certain times of night without an adult. The police will then contact the parents.

If a parent doesn’t come pick up the child in a couple hours, the child will then be turned over the state Child Youth and Families Department. For the first offense, the parent will be issued a warning. Subsequent offenses will result in fines and probation. The court may also order counseling.

“The problem is children running around at all hours of the night,” City Attorney Dave Pederson said.

The ordinance does carry a few exemptions, including teenagers who are going to and from a job. Also, the parents may offer an affirmative defense if the chid snuck out without permission.

“If the kid splits on their own, we’re not going to go after the parents,” Pederson said.

The driving ordinance will issue citations if a driver was engaged in a distracting activity that causes an accident. Police may also issue citations of drivers who are not concentrating on their driving. This would include drivers talking on cell phones, putting on make up, eating, or even changing the radio station. Subsequent offenses will result in a $500 fine. If a driver causes an accident, he or she could go to jail for up to 90 days.