East Point Sets New Curfew For Teens

EAST POINT — Minor teens can no longer hang out until double-digit hours in East Point.

The City Council amended an ordinance Thursday evening that changed the curfew for all youth aged 17 and younger to 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., seven days a week.

“Safety is our top priority,” said Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham in a statement. “Inclusion of an earlier curfew and increased parent accountability are necessary.”

The previous law allowed youth up to age 16 to remain out unsupervised until 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursdays, and 11 p.m. on the weekends before having to be in the house until 5 the next morning. For 17-year-olds the curfew was 11 p.m. through the week.

That all ended last weekend when an alleged altercation involving a group of teens near the Camp Creek Marketplace — the shopping complex which straddles the border between Atlanta and East Point — ended with three teens being shot.

“Government is the only entity that has the authority to give parents an incentive to supervise their minor child(ren),” Holiday Ingraham said. “Addressing crime and safety is a collective effort that must continue to include multi-jurisdictional coordinated policing and smart technology, advocacy for increased security investment and enforcement on private property by private property owners and businesses, community engagement and parental accountability, among other strategies.”

East Point Police will collaborate with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Atlanta Police Department, City of South Fulton Police Department and College Park Police Department to step up enforcement efforts, authorities said.

Parents are expected to be responsible for their children. Police officers who encounter youth out and unsupervised after the curfew will give a verbal warning to parents or guardians on the first offense. The second time, the parent or guardian could face a fine of up to $1,000 or imprisonment for up to 60 days in the East Point Municipal jail.