Charlotte sets 10 p.m. curfew for all minors under 18 to help curb ‘teen takeovers’
People younger than 18 won’t be allowed in public spaces past 10 p.m. in Charlotte under a stricter curfew adopted by the City Council Monday.
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The new rules take effect Nov. 1 as a time-limited pilot program that will run through August 2027. The council will then review data and decide whether the pilot was a success that should be implemented long term.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department escalated the curfew as a priority this summer amid a rise in “teen takeovers.” The national phenomenon saw large groups of teenagers gathering in public spaces late at night, which police said posed safety risks and disrupted local businesses.
“We’re trying to prevent victimization of our young people, and we’re also trying to prevent them from victimizing others,” Police Chief Estella Patterson said. “We understand that a pilot gives us the opportunity to explore that.”
The two changes under the pilot program deal with time and age.
The existing curfew, which has been in place since 1995, set different times for different ages. Kids 12 and under have not been allowed outside past 10 p.m., while curfew started at 11 p.m. for teens ages 13 through 15.
Under the new pilot program, there will only be one curfew time for everybody under 18, and it will run from 10 p.m. through 6 a.m. That’s a change for 16- and 17-year-olds, who were previously exempt.
Exceptions still apply. Minors can remain out during curfew hours if they are accompanied by a parent or authorized adult; running an errand for a parent; traveling to or from work; responding to an emergency; or attending an official school, religious or recreational activity that’s supervised by adults and sponsored by a government entity or civic organization.
Police will not pull over drivers on the suspicion they are violating curfew, Patterson said. CMPD is looking to change its policy to align with this directive.
Despite initial support from the council, which planned to move quickly before students returned to school for the fall, the process quickly stalled once residents weighed in with concerns.
Some argued the real issue was a lack of third spaces — places besides home, work or school — for youth to hang out and that the city should instead be investing in more community centers. Others worried the curfew could lead to over-policing of teens of color and that parents would be unfairly punished for their kids’ behavior.
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With so many questions remaining, the council didn’t want to go all in on the change just yet. It instead directed CMPD to create a plan for a pilot program so the city could measure the stricter curfew’s success and determine whether people’s reservations would play out as feared. If the council doesn’t like what it sees, it could make tweaks or revert to the old curfew.
The council passed the pilot program by a vote of 9-2, with only Councilwomen LaWana Mayfield and Renee Perkins Johnson opposing it.
Mayfield said she wants to see data explaining why the current curfew isn’t working before voting to change it. Perkins Johnson wanted CMPD to change its internal policy on traffic stops before council changes the curfew.
Multiple council members who supported the curfew still had questions but ultimately deferred to CMPD.
“When we elect leaders, unless they do something that suggests that we should not follow them, I think we follow them,” said Councilman Malcolm Graham. “I am committed to following until I have a reason not to.”
Patterson will give quarterly updates to the council on how the pilot is progressing.
CMPD will collect local data throughout the pilot and seek “an external evaluation” at its conclusion, according to the City Council meeting agenda. The police department will summarize findings for the council and make a recommendation on what to do next.
Some of the metrics CMPD will use to gauge success include the number of teen crime victims, the number of crimes committed by teens and the number and severity in teen takeover events, Patterson said.
At-large Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera asked CMPD to also break data out by demographics to ensure there aren’t “unintended disparities” from enforcement, which has been a leading concern among opponents.
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“The goal here is not to criminalize our teenagers,” Ajmera said.
