Columbus Council extends downtown youth curfew through September 2027
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- Columbus City Council extended youth curfew through September 2027, citing public safety concerns and reduced juvenile crime downtown.
- Some council members questioned extension, arguing city hadn't fully evaluated data or discussed expanding youth activities first.
The Columbus City Council has voted to extend the city’s youth curfew through September 30, 2027, keeping the ordinance in place for another year.
The council approved an amendment extending the sunset date of the curfew during its Sept. 29, 2026, meeting. The council then approved the ordinance itself with the extended sunset date.
The curfew applies to individuals under the age of 18 in designated public areas during late-night hours.
During the meeting, Councilor Walker Garrett spoke in support of continuing the curfew, citing what he described as public safety concerns and information provided by the Columbus Police Department.
Garrett said he had received numerous calls about the curfew over the weekend and said he had spoken with young people, including members of the city's youth advisory council.
Garrett said several students he spoke with supported the idea that minors should not be downtown late at night without adult supervision. He also said some youths told him they would not use a recreation center or park if adult supervision was required because they wanted to be where the activity was taking place downtown.
Garrett said the curfew should be viewed as a preventative measure rather than a punishment and argued that parents have a responsibility to provide activities and supervision for their children.
He also referenced Columbus Police Department statistics previously presented to the council, saying 33 people had been addressed under the curfew.
During the council's Sept. 22 meeting, Columbus Police Department Sgt. Sherman Hayes discussed the department's experience with the ordinance.
Hayes said officers had previously been removing firearms from juveniles ranging in age from 12 to 17 in the Uptown area. He said that since the ordinance took effect, officers had encountered one juvenile with a firearm in the area.
According to Hayes, that individual was a 17-year-old who had murder warrants connected to a homicide investigation in Columbus. Hayes said the juvenile was wearing a mask, riding in a van and had a gun in his lap when officers apprehended him.
Hayes told council members that officers had not recovered another firearm from a juvenile in Uptown since that incident.
He also said the ordinance had not completely stopped young people from visiting downtown, noting that some juveniles continue to gather in the area, patronize businesses and spend time with friends before being picked up by their parents.
Hayes said the department believes the ordinance has reduced late-night activity involving juveniles and adults, including concerns involving alcohol and unsupervised activity near the Riverwalk
Hayes also described previous problems involving large numbers of juveniles, including fights with police, property damage and vehicle break-ins, and said those incidents had significantly decreased since the ordinance was implemented.
Not every council member agreed that extending the curfew was the appropriate course of action at this time.
Councilor Kathy Cook said the council had previously committed to evaluating the curfew using data before deciding what action to take next.
Cook said she supports protecting residents while also making sure young people have access to activities and opportunities.
She argued that the city had not yet had a formal discussion about expanding youth activities and said extending the curfew before having that conversation felt inconsistent with the council's previous commitment.
The council ultimately approved the one-year extension, keeping the curfew in effect through September 30, 2027.
The extension does not prevent the council from revisiting the ordinance before that date. Garrett noted during the discussion that the council retains the authority to modify or repeal an ordinance if it determines that changes are necessary.
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