Politics
Push to Expand CPD’s Curfew Power Stalls After Last-Minute Revision
A proposal designed to expand the Chicago Police Department’s power to impose a curfew to stop large gatherings of teens stalled Wednesday after supporters of the push balked after a last-minute effort to revise the measure.
The original proposal from Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) would have given Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling the power to declare a preemptive curfew, with at least 12 hours’ notice, before a planned mass gathering at any time or place in the city.
The City Council’s Public Safety Committee voted 10-6 on Jan. 7 to endorse that proposal to expand the power of the city’s curfew, which starts at 10 p.m. seven days a week and applies to everyone 17 years old and younger.
However, Hopkins introduced a significantly revised measure moments before the City Council was set to vote on his third effort to expand the city’s curfew to stop teen gatherings.
Hopkins said the revised measure is “vastly improved” and “avoids the constitutional question” raised by the original version.
The new proposal does not mention the city’s curfew, but gives the city’s top cop the power to issue what it calls “a dispersal declaration” in areas where police leaders have determined they have probable cause to believe there will be a “disruptive youth gathering.”
CPD already has the power to declare a gathering unlawful and order people to disperse or face legal consequences. The policy requires that “three or more persons are committing acts of disorderly conduct that are likely to cause substantial harm in the immediate vicinity” before a dispersal order is issued.
The revised proposal would allow police officers to detain teens they believe to be in violation until a responsible adult can be located and agrees to take custody of the teen.
Mayor Brandon Johnson told reporters that his office had negotiated the revised ordinance Hopkins introduced during Wednesday’s City Council meeting, but said he was pleased more discussions will take place.
Johnson said he remains committed to stopping the teen gatherings.
Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th Ward) said he was deeply uncomfortable with that proposal, saying it could expose the city to lawsuits and do nothing to stop the teen gatherings that have turned violent.
Hopkins’ initial proposal was prompted by the killing of 14-year-old Armani Floyd on Nov. 21 during a large gathering downtown after the city’s annual Christmas tree lighting. Eight others were injured in a separate shooting just blocks away.
No one has been arrested or charged in connection with the teen’s death.
Johnson and Snelling warned Dec. 29 that officers were prepared to enforce the city’s curfew on Dec. 31, when “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” broadcast live nationwide from the Chicago Riverwalk.
Only one teen was cited Dec. 31 for violating the city’s curfew, while five other teens were stopped and searched by Chicago police officers on New Year’s Eve, according to records obtained by WTTW News.
Johnson vetoed Hopkins’ last attempt to expand Chicago’s curfew, after it passed the City Council 27-22, calling it unconstitutional and unworkable. That plan would have allowed CPD to impose a “snap curfew,” allowing CPD to start enforcing the measure within just 30 minutes.
WTTW News coverage of policing and police reform is supported by The Joyce Foundation.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
