A new Dallas teen curfew takes effect Monday, after the city council voted Wednesday to reinstate a law that expired in January.
The Dallas City Council allowed the curfew, which applied to kids under 17-years-old, to expire last month, as leaders considered options that potentially involved doing away with it for good.
Instead, the council passed an amended version of the old law, crafted by councilman Adam McGough.
The amendments include a directive to police officers to issue a citation as a last resort, instead they are instructed to bring kids home to their parents. If a citation is issued, it would be handled as a civil, instead of a criminal, violation.
Fines were reduced from $500 to $50, and the city council set aside $500,000 for new youth activities.
With some exemptions, kids younger than 17-years-old cannot be in a public place or on the premises of any establishment between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and between 12:01 and 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, according to NBC 5 media partner The Dallas Morning News. They also cannot be out from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on school days. There is an exception if a child is with a parent.
Critics of the curfew said it unfairly targets minorities.
