Philadelphia councilmember introduces bill to amend minor curfew law

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia City Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson introduced legislation Thursday to modify the curfew for minors during the summer months.

If passed, the bill would change the curfew for all minors 16 and older to 10 p.m.

Minors 16 and older currently have to be home by midnight.

The curfew for children 13 and under would remain at 9:30 p.m.

Police officers would take curfew violators to a curfew center or police division, but they would not be under arrest.

Gilmore Richardson hopes the curfew will help keep the city's youth safe from gun violence.

"Young people are getting caught up in dangerous situations, and we cannot continue to go on like this," said Councilmember Gilmore Richardson. "There have already been 92 children under 18 shot this year. We are besieged in our communities, and as leaders, we must do everything we can to keep our young people safe."

As investigators were announcing the arrests of two murder suspects in connection with last week's mass shooting on South Street, Mayor Jim Kenney was asked about a possible curfew.

"I'm not opposed to it in theory, but I have to make sure we can do the operation without making us less safe because we're taking kids to a curfew center," the mayor said.

The proposed curfew would stay in effect until September 29, 2022.