It’s been a little over a month since the city of Winston-Salem enacted a temporary teen curfew.
In the first 42 days, encounters with youth — whether offenders or victims — were down 26%, particularly during curfew hours. That's according to William Penn Jr., Winston-Salem chief of police.
Penn added there haven’t been any more of the viral teen takeovers — one of the driving forces when it came to enacting the curfew.
"Hundreds of youth ascended upon downtown, and took a lot of resources," Penn said. "In fact, it increased our response time that day by eight minutes to get to other calls for service."
The Youth Protection Ordinance states anyone 17 and under cannot be in public spaces from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. without an adult. There are some exceptions, such as school-sanctioned events or commuting to and from work.
Penn said the curfew works by preventing teens from gathering late at night unsupervised.
"The biggest thing is that the police department doesn't think that the curfew is a solution. It's just a tool," he said.
Two youths and one parent have been charged since the curfew started in June. Leaders in Greensboro are considering a similar measure following a recent shooting that left nine people injured, including multiple teenagers.
Penn said the department is encouraging conversation with the community. He added that in his experience, teens gravitate toward structure.
"The kids are just being kids," Penn said. "We, as adults in the community, we have to step up and do a better job of providing those parameters for them."
The curfew is set to expire on October 12. Penn said he thinks the city should continue it. City leaders are expected to review and decide whether or not to extend the curfew.