The Borough of Wrightstown Council hereby determines
that a curfew is necessary to further the public health, safety, morals
and general welfare of the borough and specifically to further the
following borough interests:
A. The reduction in the incidence of juvenile criminal
activity.
B. The protection of the public from nocturnal mischief
by minors.
C. The enforcement of parental control of and responsibility
for their children.
D. Protection of the younger children from each other
and from other persons on the streets during the nighttime hours.
It shall be unlawful for any juvenile under
the age of 18 to be or remain in or upon any of the public streets,
highways, roads, roadways, alleys, parks or other areas, or in any
quasi-public place or in any other place open to the public in the
Borough of Wrightstown, either on foot or by any form of conveyance,
after the hour of 10:00 p.m. and before 5:00 a.m., except on Friday
and Saturday, when the hours shall be fixed between 11:00 p.m. and
5:00 a.m., prevailing time.
A person under the age of 18 years shall not
be considered in violation of this chapter under the following exceptional
circumstances:
A. When accompanied by a parent or guardian of such juvenile.
B. While engaged in errands involving medical emergencies.
C. While engaged in extracurricular school activities,
activities sponsored by religious or community based organizations
and other cultural, educational and social events.
D. When the juvenile is on the sidewalk or place where
such juvenile resides or on the sidewalk of either next door neighbor
not communicating an objection to law enforcement officers or to the
neighbors.
E. When returning home, by a direct route from the juvenile's
lawful and gainful employment.
F. When the juvenile is with parental consent in a motor
vehicle for the purpose of direct interstate or intrastate movements
along major routes through the Borough of Wrightstown and such travel
beginning or ending in the borough.
It shall be unlawful for a parent, having legal
custody of a juvenile, knowingly to permit or by inefficient control
to allow the juvenile to be or remain upon any borough street or public
place under circumstances not constituting an exception to or otherwise
beyond the scope of this chapter. The term "knowingly" includes knowledge
which a parent should reasonably be expected to have concerning the
whereabouts of the juvenile in that parent's legal custody. It is
intended to continue to keep neglectful or careless parents up to
a reasonable community standard or parental responsibility to an objective
test. It shall, therefore, be no defense that a parent was completely
indifferent to the activities or conduct or whereabouts of such juvenile.
Any person violating this chapter shall be subject
to a fine up to $1,000 and shall be required to perform community
service. If both a juvenile and a juvenile's parent or guardian violate
this chapter they shall be required to perform community service together.
Any juvenile who shall violate any of the provisions of this Curfew
Chapter shall be reported by the arresting agency to the juvenile
authorities as a juvenile in need of supervision, and arresting authorities
may proceed to file such charges with the Superior Court of New Jersey,
Chancery Division, Family Part, Burlington County.