St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne announced this week that his office will be increasing the number of deputies deployed to enforce the parish’s curfew law, noting violators will be brought in and detained.
Champagne said the reinforced emphasis on curfew comes at a time when many of his deputies have noticed an elevated number of juveniles out after 10 p.m., the parish’s mandated curfew time. The parish’s curfew law prohibits children ages 16 and under from being out after that time without parental supervision. The curfew runs from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., and includes the weekends.
“We noticed that deputies were coming across an increasing number of young people in the last couple of weeks out very late and along with the thefts we were seeing, we decided to crank up curfew enforcement with primarily unmarked and plain clothes detectives,” Champagne said.
Particularly catching the sheriff’s attention was an incident July 29, where three juveniles were arrested after they were caught riding a four-wheeler after 2 a.m. He said petty crime and thefts have picked up recently, another reason to act.
“In recent days, deputies have noticed more and more juveniles out after curfew,” Champagne wrote July 30 on his Facebook page. “This is typical as summer comes to a close. Last night 3 were caught on a 4 wheeler after 2 a.m.. They were arrested. This won’t be tolerated.
“Parents will be called to pick them up and they will receive a court date. If you see juveniles on the street after 10, please call us. Be forewarned.”
Penalties for violating curfew include fines up to $100 and potentially up to 10 days in jail for a parent or guardian. Champagne said the increased number of curfew violators isn’t a surprise given the time of year.
“It is normal, especially during the last days of summer when sports are over and vacations are over,” Champagne said. “Kids get bored, bad kids steal.”
He believes strict enforcement of the curfew has proven to be very effective in preventing juvenile crime such as auto-break-ins.
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