PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. — With a smile on her face, Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced Tuesday that the curfew for youth has been extended until the end of the year after a successful 30-day trial period.
Alsobrooks initially launched the curfew banning teens from many public places late at night on Sept. 9, and planned for it to end Oct. 11 in an attempt to curb youth crime - and according to county officials it worked.
"We had an overall drop of 13% in crime, which was a 24% reduction in violent crime and a 9% reduction in property crime," Prince George's County Chief of Police Malik Aziz said. "During the curfew hours, overall crime dropped 20%, violent crime dropped 38%, carjackings dropped 59%, and non-contact shootings or non-fatal shootings dropped 56%."
County officials say that they believe the success of the program is not only due to the curfew but also parental and community involvement.
The curfew will be reviewed again after the holiday period, which Alsobrooks says is a time period crime can tend to increase.
Under the curfew, youth age 17 and younger are required to stay in their homes between 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday, according to announcement. On Fridays and Saturdays, teens would have to be inside between 11:59 p.m. to 5 a.m.
If a teenager is out during the curfew hours they will be required to be with a parent or guardian.
In the county, crime involving teens saw an increase in 2022. A spokesperson for Prince George's County Police informed WUSA9 at the end of August that there had been 344 carjackings to date. From those offenses, 140 arrests were made with the majority being minors.
Since the curfew began, there have been four reported violations of the curfew. The families of each of these children received a written notice.
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