INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department picked up dozens of kids this past weekend for violating curfew.
Police say 45 juveniles were taken to the Connection Center over the weekend, where staff worked to reunite them with their parents or guardians.
“The Connection Center played an important role this weekend, and I’m convinced that lives were saved because of this intervention,” said IMPD Chief Tanya Terry.
The Connection Center is a safe place for teens that’s an alternative to arrest.
IMPD says some of those taken were as young as 12-years-old. Two children were not picked up by parents or guardians and were taken to juvenile intake for curfew violations.
Chief Terry says she hopes the fact that it was a holiday contributed to the large number of kids who were out unsupervised, but says the problem remains a trend.
“This is not just an IMPD issue, it’s a personal accountability issue. Young people should not be out unsupervised late at night, and families have to know where their children are, what they’re doing, and who they’re with,” she said.
IMPD says there weren’t any major incidents over the holiday weekend, and believe their efforts kept the downtown area peaceful. “We used every piece of technology available to us, we had a very strong presence throughout downtown, and oftentimes, we ahead of or on top of situations as they were developing, or immediately after,” said Terry.
Chief Terry emphasizes that the goal is to keep children safe. She stresses that parents are the first line of defense by making sure they’re not out past curfew. “What I hope for is that the 45 families that were impacted, that it’s a wake-up call for them to have those important conversations,” said Terry.
