MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- Middletown police will be enforcing a longstanding curfew for minors as youth arrests continue to climb, according to the city's police chief.
Middletown recorded 94 juvenile arrests at the start of June, Chief Rodney Musterpaw told the Journal-News; this year, the total was 186.
"That is a huge mark up," Muterspaw said. "There is a problem. Got to fix this."
The chief said officers have recently seen juveniles outside bars during the early morning hours.
"After midnight, nothing good happens for a juvenile, it just doesn't," Muterspaw said. "A lot of our shootings happen after midnight."
Hunter Hall, 19, said he knows a lot of young people in Middletown who use drugs. He thinks the curfew would help the community.
Middletown resident Stacy Neace also said she thinks the curfew could deter young people from becoming involved in drug activity.
“You see people trafficking in drugs all the time. And that’s one thing, my kids aren’t allowed to leave the yard unless I’m outside,” Neace said.
Neace has four kids, and she said she tries everything she can to keep them safe.
“We go by street lights. If the street lights came on you went home. If you weren’t home you were in trouble. You weren’t allowed to play the next day,” Neace said.
Hamilton, Fairfield and Cincinnati also have youth curfews.
Sgt. Brian Robinson, Hamilton Police Department spokesman, said officers do use the curfew as a tool, especially if juveniles are repeat offenders and crimes have been occurring in a specific area.
"It is about getting them off the streets," Robinson told the Journal-News. He noted parents often don't know their children are out until they get a knock on the door in the middle of the night.
Middletown curfew hours
Under the age of 16:
- 11 p.m. on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays until 6 a.m. of the following day
- 12:01 a.m. until 6 a.m. on Saturdays or Sundays
Ages 16-17:
- 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays or Fridays
- 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Saturdays or Sunday
Hamilton curfew hours
10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays
11:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Fairfield curfew hours
Under the age of 12:
- From darkness to dawn
Ages 12-17:
- 11 p.m. to 4:30 a.m.
Cincinnati curfew hours
Under the age of 16
- 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Ages 16-17
- Midnight to 5 a.m.
The Journal-News is a media partner of WCPO.
