Centralia Approves Age Curfew

CENTRALIA - The Centralia City Council has approved a curfew for children under 16, despite constitutional questions raised by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The council voted 6-1 to pass the second reading of its parental responsibility ordinance. Councilman Sam Martin casting the dissenting vote, complaining that the measure could not be enforced in cases of youngsters whose parents live outside city limits.

The new law allows police to contact children under the age of 16 who are out on the streets between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m.

If an officer decides the child has no legitimate reason to be out, the child can be told to go home, or can be taken there by the officer.

Parents would be issued a warning after a first offense.

On a second offense with the same child, they could be issued a citation and fined as much as $1,000 in Centralia Municipal Court.

The council began considering the ordinance earlier this year, when Police Chief Toni Breckel told the council his officers faced increasing problems of vandalism and other misbehaviors from groups of young people roaming the streets after dark.

He and City Attorney Craig Nelson wrote the ordinance, basing it on one in Sunnyside.

They sought to avoid constitutional problems raised over curfew laws by targeting parents rather than children.

Last month, an ACLU official advised Mayor Joan Buzzard in a letter of the organization's concerns about such ordinances in general, and noting in particular this measure's "vicarious criminal liability" for parents.

"Basically, we oppose curfews . . . because we oppose the government saying citizens can't be in public when they are engaged in no wrongdoing," said Jerry Sheehan, ACLU legislative director.