Philadelphia's curfew for children under 18 may come back for good

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia's juvenile curfew for people under 18 may be here to stay.

City Council's Committee on Public Safety approved keeping the curfew at 9:30 p.m. for those 13 and under, and 10 p.m. for those 14 and up.

That summertime measure expired at the end of September.

Supporters of the curfew say it is aimed at keeping young people safe from historic rates of gunfire in the city, though critics argue it did little to protect them over the summer.

The full City Council will now consider the permanent curfew.

If it's approved, it will still need Mayor Jim Kenney's signature.

Councilwoman Katherine Gilmore Richardson proposed the original bill.

"We're seeing our young people involved in more criminal incidents, criminal activity simply because they're out late," Richardson said.

If minors violated the curfewed, Philadelphia Police Department officers attempted to reunite them with their families.

If that was not possible, officers either took the children to one of two community evening resource centers or took them back to the police station to try to reunite them with their families there.

The bill does provide exceptions for the teens if there are legitimate reasons which include work and errands. There's also leeway for those who are with a guardian.

There are no fines for violators.