Audio By Carbonatix
Since it’s been a couple of weeks since the Daytime Juvenile Curfew went into effect, we thought it might be a good time to find out how many kiddos the Dallas Police Department’s done rounded up for skipping school. But as it happens, that’s easier requested than done: We called DPD spokesman Kevin Janse for the stats this morning, but it took the better part of the day for him to return our call. He didn’t forget about us; it just took him
that long to figure out who was keeping track of the citations. Turns
out, it’s Youth Division.
Janse read to Unfair Park this e-mail sent to him by Lt. Robert
Hinton: “As of today we have a record of 25
citations having been issued.” However, Janse says, Hinton warned of “lag-time” in this tally. In other words, it’s hard to say when the most recent citation was issued.
For those in need of a primer, this is how the procedure works: When an officer sees an under-17 wandering the streets during school hours, he or she will discern whether or not the absence is legit. If not, the officer will hand that young’un a citation
with a date to appear before a judge. The officer then sends a so-called Field
Interrogation Report to the Youth Division. The charge the youth faces is a Class C
Misdemeanor, which carries a a maximum fine of $500 — and is on the same level as riding a bicycle without a
helmet.
