Updated 09/30/2008 04:10 PM
Albany Common Council member pushes for city curfew
With parents increasingly worrying about youth violence, one Albany Common Council member in Albany said he has a solution -- a curfew. Our Kaitlyn Ross spoke with Glen Casey to find out what he plans to do.ALBANY, N.Y. -- Councilman Glen Casey of the 11th Ward wants to see the streets of Albany empty.
"If you're halfway across town at one o'clock in the morning and you're 10 years old," he said, "that's a problem."
His ward is mainly college students, so after doing a few recent walkarounds at one or two in the morning, he was disturbed to see the amount of youngsters out on the streets.
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"I see young kids who couldn't be more than 10, 11 years old, you know, riding their bikes, hanging out on the corner, and that's of concern," said Casey.
The new curfew proposal that he's putting forward to the City Council would make hanging out past 11 p.m. on week nights and midnight on weekends illegal for kids 16 and younger.
While the idea has been raised three times unsuccessfully in the past, Casey thinks they can push the legislation through if they address the concerns with the idea.
He said, "To see if this is something that we want to do in the City of Albany, how it would be crafted, how it would be enforced, these are all questions we'd be taking up in committee."
There would be built-in exceptions. For example, someone under 17 could be in their own front yard or their next door neighbor's yard. But what about their neighbor across the street or their cousin down the block?
"I think that the police have an understanding of what the intent and the spirit of the law is," said Casey.
Other exceptions would be made for jobs, religious activities, or athletic events.
The curfew is on the agenda for next week's meeting on Monday.