The Chattanooga City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve an ordinance that would change the city’s existing curfew policy for teenagers.
Curfew now begins at midnight for those 17 and under. However, council members said they would prefer to match the city’s curfew to that of the state of Tennessee, which is more restrictive. Under state law, curfew begins at 11 p.m. for anyone 18 and under. It goes even further for those 16 and under with a curfew that begins at 10 p.m.
(READ MORE: Community calls for mentorship, consistency in response to Chattanooga gun violence)
During earlier meetings discussing the possibility of changing the curfew, Councilwoman Demetrus Coonrod said she thought doing so would help limit public safety concerns, particularly in Coolidge Park and the downtown area. Previous attempts to limit violence in both locations include a curfew placed on the park in March 2011 that prohibited teens from visiting between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless accompanied by an adult and the addition of 10 extra patrol officers to the area in 2013.
Both efforts were put into place after groups of teenagers were involved in shootouts.