Iowa City Council (briefly) discusses curfew enforcement

IOWA CITY - The City Council's discussion Tuesday night of a juvenile curfew didn't end at the 4-3 vote in support of the measure.

It was brought up again during council time at the very end of the meeting - and the brief discussion offered some clues as to how the curfew may be enforced.

Council member Amy Correia, who is against the curfew, asked for more information at a future meeting about how the Police Department would handle its new authority, if the curfew is approved. 

Interim City Manager Dale Helling said he opposed “micromanaging” the police department and said officers should  have a lot of discretion for enforcement.

After a couple of minutes of conversation, Ross Wilburn spoke up and suggested the council needed to stop talking about the curfew. Most of the audience had left under the assumption the debate was over for the night.

The council probably will pick up the topic at a future work session or the next formal meeting, when the third and final reading of the curfew ordinance will take place. 

Police Chief Sam Hargadine has said curfew violations would be a low priority for officers and he expects most complaints would be handled with a warning. Citations mostly would come with repeat offenses, he said.

If the curfew is approved, violators could be charged with a simple misdemeanor and fined $50.