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Largo grounds teen curfew for time being
By MICHAEL SANDLER, Times Staff Writer LARGO -- Police Chief Lester Aradi has suspended Largo's controversial midnight to dawn juvenile curfew. Citing concerns that the curfew might not hold up in court, Aradi put the 4-year-old ordinance on hold. Aradi made the decision after a court declared similar curfew ordinances in Tampa and Pinellas Park unconstitutional and after consulting Largo City Attorney Alan Zimmet. Zimmet took a look at the court's decision and advised Aradi to suspend enforcement pending review. Pinellas Park intermittently enforced its curfew as the case began winding its way through the courts. Then last year, Pinellas Park officials decided to suspend enforcement until the state Supreme Court rules on the curfew's constitutionality. Largo's ordinance came under scrutiny last year after a teenager called it unconstitutional. Commissioners modified it to the point where police no longer arrest violators. Now Aradi awaits the fallout from an Aug. 16 2nd District Court of Appeal decision that the Tampa and Pinellas Park ordinances were too intrusive for the purpose intended and must be more narrowly tailored to be constitutional. The case is subject to an appeal to the Florida Supreme Court. "We administratively have suspended any enforcement until a clearer case law has been determined," Aradi said Monday. Zimmet said an issue cited in both cases was the lack of "real statistical data" supporting the need for citywide curfews. The cities presented general data instead, he said. Zimmet said he and Aradi will review Largo's data to determine whether changes are needed. They will consider both crimes committed by teens and those committed against them. Aradi hopes to have information ready by February, when the current curfew expires. "It has to go before the commission one more time before any renewal," he said. "I'm confident by that time we will have some more definitive information." Largo city commissioners approved the curfew in 1998. At one time, police had the power to charge those younger than 18 who violated the ordinance. They modified the restrictions and penalties last year after a young person challenged the law as unconstitutional. Teens were given an extra hour during the week on both ends, making the curfew from midnight to 5 a.m. Officers stopped arresting teens found breaking curfew, and fines went from $500 to $50. Teens with notes from their parents would be excused. Mayor Bob Jackson voted against the curfew in 1998 but supported last year's changes. He still says parents should have the final word. But he has heard few complaints from residents. And with news reports of teenage abductions elsewhere, he even sees a curfew as a way of protecting area youths. The mayor said the courts do not share his views. "They look at it in terms of human rights and constitutionality," he said. Either way, he thinks Aradi made a good decision. "He told me they were not going to enforce it, and I told him that was the wise thing to do," Jackson said.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
