The Little Rock City Board of Directors on July 15 approved an emergency ordinance adding a temporary juvenile curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., effective immediately through Sept. 2, 2025, and approved emergency clauses to make the rule enforceable.

Board members said the temporary rule responds to recent large gatherings of juveniles in downtown and the River Market District that city leaders and police say have produced safety concerns. The board also directed staff to develop data on summer incidents to inform whether the board should extend or revise the policy after the temporary period.

Mayor Frank Scott Jr. opened the discussion by placing the ordinance on third reading; a city staff member asked Tom to explain the amendment. Tom said the change is “to add a new subsection d” and that "the hours will be 10:00PM to 05:00AM throughout the city 7 days a week." The ordinance preserves longstanding exceptions such as travel to and from work and accompanying adults, Tom said.

Police Chief Hilton told the board the department will increase patrols and use overtime to address concentrated gatherings. "We're gonna be very aggressive and how we do it, but we're also gonna be legal, professional, and ethical in how we conduct our business," he said. Hilton described River Market weekends as drawing large crowds — about 20,000 on the Fourth of July weekend — and said the department would include school resource officers and other familiar personnel to help disperse congregations without escalating confrontations.

Hilton also provided recent enforcement figures: "Last year in the River Market District alone, we only wrote 18 citations to juveniles related to curfew or loitering for the entire year. So far this year, 21." He said most young people leave when asked, and citations are issued when people refuse to comply.

City staff clarified enforcement and post‑citation procedures. Tom and other staff said the police department will collect incident data during the temporary curfew; the city manager and other departments may supply additional information to analyze where and why gatherings occur. On the question of parental liability, the city attorney's office advised that parents will not be arrested simply for having a child out; instead, the typical response is a juvenile court referral for a family in need of services petition when appropriate.

The ordinance includes exceptions for juveniles travelling directly to or from work: Tom said an 18‑year‑old returning home from work after 10 p.m. "even if they are stopped by the police for questioning... as long as they're headed straight home, that is an exception to the curfew." Staff noted other exceptions already in code remain unchanged.

Board members asked about public outreach and youth alternatives. Interim Director of Community Programs Mike Sanders listed summer programs under way: summer youth employment, midnight basketball events, a summer workforce development institute, creative partnerships such as a music-studio visit with Braceface Music, and redirected street‑based intervention teams that will focus on the River Market area. Mayor Scott said the board had added $500,000 to the summer youth employment program for the coming year.

The board adopted the ordinance by voice vote and approved two emergency clauses to make it effective immediately. The board recorded the action as passed by voice vote with "ayes have it." Staff will report back with collected data after the summer period so the board can consider whether to extend, modify or let the curfew lapse on or after Sept. 3, 2025.

Less-critical details: board members confirmed the ordinance language covers scooters and similar devices in the temporary restriction and said staff are meeting with scooter companies about operational controls. The board emphasized enforcement that seeks voluntary compliance first and citations only when necessary.