Curfew

During the Country Club Hills City Council meeting held on Monday, June 9, 2008, elected officials
approved the revision of the City’s Curfew Ordinance. Basically, the revision states that persons
under the age of seventeen may not be in public places Sunday through Thursday from 10:00
p.m. until 6:00 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10:30 p.m. until 6:00 a.m.

WHY A CURFEW LAW IS NEEDED
This juvenile curfew program is a cooperative effort between the Country Club Hills City Council and
the Country Club Hills Police Department. The goal of curfew laws is twofold: to prevent juvenile
crime and to protect youth from victimization.

Curfews are credited with restoring and maintaining order in many neighborhoods across the country.
In addition to equipping law enforcement with tools to keep youth off the streets, curfews provide
parents with a legitimate, legal basis for curtailing the late night activities of their children. It is easier
for parents to place boundaries on their children’s whereabouts, proponents argue, when other youth in
the neighborhood are similarly restricted by a specific time to be indoors.

Businesses are responsible for asking persons under the age of seventeen to leave their establishment at
curfew time. Misdemeanor tickets can be issued to businesses who ignore curfew laws and allow
children to remain in their buildings during youth curfew.

CURFEW EXCEPTIONS
Some exceptions to the Country Club Hills curfew include children accompanied by the child’s parent,
legal guardian, or legal custodian, and children accompanied by an adult at least twenty-one (21) years
of age and specified by the child’s parent, legal guardian, or legal custodian. Other exceptions include
participating in, going to, or returning from lawful employment, a school sanctioned activity, or a
religious event.

CURFEW FINES
A person who violates a provision of this ordinance is guilty of a separate offense for each day or part
of a day during which the violation is committed, continued, or permitted. Conviction of the first
offense can result in a fine of not less than $75.00 nor more than $750.00. Conviction for the second
offense can result in a fine of not less than $250.00 nor more than $750.00. A conviction of three or
more offenses can result in a fine of no less than $750.00, or charges rendered by a hearing officer.
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