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Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Public Safety Fritz Fragé announced the city is launching an overnight for kids ages 17 and below, calling it a "Juvenile Safety Initiative."
Under the initiative, unaccompanied minors, ages 17 and below, who are more than 100 yards from their residence between 11 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. the following day will be given a verbal warning and will be escorted to his or her residence and released to the care of his or her parent or guardian, Baraka and Fragé said.
A second infraction within a six month period will result in the juvenile being transported to the Newark Police Youth Strategies Section to be picked up by a parent or guardian, Baraka and Fragé said.
The juvenile will also be referred to the on-call staff member of the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery to assess his or her needs for services and/or resources, Baraka and Fragé said.
No juvenile will be arrested for a curfew violation, Baraka and Fragé said, though parents or guardians will be referred to the New Jersey Department of Children and Families Office of Child Protection and Permanency as a result of repeated violations.
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