A reminder to Allen teens (and parents): the city has a curfew, and it’s not going away any time soon.
Allen’s curfew ordinance states that juveniles (ages ten through sixteen) may not remain in a public place or on the premises of any establishment after 11 p.m., Sunday through Thursday. On Friday and Saturday nights the curfew is extended until midnight.
Each offense is punishable by a fine of up to $500. Exceptions are made for emergency situations, church or school events and work-related activities. Teens won’t face penalties if they’re accompanied by a parent or guardian, or if their parent or guardian sent them on an errand.
Juveniles aren’t the only ones who could be penalized for staying out too late. Parents can also be charged a fine of up to $500 if they knowingly permit—or, by insufficient control, allow—juvenile children to break curfew. Owners, operators and employees who allow juveniles to hang out in their establishments past curfew may also be subject to the fine.
“We encourage our officers to use great discretion in the application of the juvenile curfew and use it as a tool to fight crime,” says Allen Police Department’s Deputy Chief Ken Myers. “It’s as much about preventing juveniles from committing these crimes as it is protecting juveniles from becoming victims of crime because they were out late at night.”
The city must review its curfew ordinance every three years, in accordance with state law. City council members voted to keep the curfew in place until 2019 during the June 28 meeting. The ordinance was last reviewed in July 2013.