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Lynchburg council debates renewing youth curfew; vote deferred to Jan. 28 with language change
Summary
Deputy Chief Ken Edwards presented a recommendation to renew a citywide youth curfew and reported 49 people charged under the curfew ordinance since May 26, 2023; council debated data sufficiency and parental-liability language.
Deputy Chief Ken Edwards of the Lynchburg Police Department asked the council to adopt a citywide youth curfew effective Feb. 17, 2025 through Feb. 18, 2026 (automatic repeal), saying the most recent curfew had lapsed on Jan. 1 and that police had charged 49 individuals with curfew violations since the curfew began on May 26, 2023.
“The Lynchburg Police Department has been collecting data on the curfew since it began on May 26, 2023. As of December 31, 2024, 49 individuals have been charged with violating the curfew,” Edwards said. He described juvenile involvement in property and violent crimes during curfew hours and said a curfew provides another tool to address delinquent behavior and to prevent juveniles from becoming victims during late-night hours.
Councilors debated the appropriate duration (six months versus one year), the evidence supplied and the balance between parental rights and public safety. One councilor requested dispositions for the 49 charged individuals; Edwards said he did not have case-disposition numbers available at the briefing. Several councilors said the curfew had community support and cited recent youth homicides and community requests as the basis for renewal; others raised constitutional and parental-rights concerns.
City Attorney and city-manager staff noted that, because the proposed ordinance carries penalties, proper advertisement and an effective-date delay are required under city charter and state law if council adopts it. Council discussed suspending rules to consider it this evening but ultimately declined; members reached consensus to place the ordinance on the Jan. 28 general-business agenda so it can be advertised properly. Council also directed staff to change the parental-liability wording in the ordinance from language that included “encourage” or “allow” to instead use wording along the lines of “knowingly facilitate,” which several council members supported.
Council requested additional information on case dispositions and the number of parents charged; several members also suggested pairing curfew actions with school-truancy initiatives and community prevention programs.
