[Adopted 10-14-1974 as Ch. 43 of the 1974 Code; amended in its entirety 9-11-2003 by Ord. No. 1146 (Ch. 126 of the 1999 Code)]
The purpose of this Part is to: promote the general welfare and protect the general public through the reduction of juvenile violence and crime within the Borough; promote the safety and well-being of the Borough's youngest citizens, persons under the age of 18, whose inexperience renders them particularly vulnerable to becoming participants in unlawful activities, particularly unlawful drug activities, and to being victimized by older perpetrators of crime; and foster and strengthen parental responsibility for children.
As used within this Part, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed to them below:
CURFEW HOURS
The hours of 10:00 p.m. on any Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday through 5:00 a.m. on the following day, and the hours of 11:00 p.m. on any Friday or Saturday through 5:00 a.m. on the following day.
[Amended 7-13-2006 by Ord. No. 1186]
EMERGENCY
Unforeseen circumstances, or the status or condition resulting therefrom, requiring immediate action to safeguard life, limb or property. The term includes, but is not limited to, fires, natural disasters, automobile accidents or other similar circumstances.
ESTABLISHMENT
Any privately owned place of business within the Borough operated for a profit, to which the public is invited, including, but not limited to any place of amusement or entertainment. With respect to such establishment, the term "operator" shall mean any person and any firm, association, partnership (and the members or partners thereof) and/or any corporation (and the officers thereof) conducting or managing that establishment.
MINOR
Any person under 18 years of age who has not been emancipated by court order.
OFFICER
A police or other law enforcement officer charged with the duty of enforcing the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and/or the ordinances of the Borough of Homestead.
PARENT
1. 
A person who is a minor's biological or adoptive parent and who has legal custody of a minor (including either parent, if custody is shared under a court order or agreement);
2. 
A person who is the biological or adoptive parent with whom a minor regularly resides;
3. 
A person judicially appointed as a legal guardian of the minor; and/or
4. 
A person 18 years of age or older standing in loco parentis (as indicated by the authorization of an individual listed in Subsection 1, 2 or 3 of this definition, above, for the person to assume the care or physical custody of the child, or as indicated by any other circumstances).
PERSON
An individual, does not refer to any association, corporation or any other legal entity.
PUBLIC PLACE
Any place to which the public or a substantial group of the public has access, including, but not limited to, streets, highways, roads, sidewalks, alleys, avenues, parks and/or the common areas of government buildings, schools, hospitals, apartment houses, office buildings, transportation facilities, shops.
REMAIN
The following actions:
1. 
To linger or stay at or upon a place; and/or
2. 
To fail to leave a place when requested to do so by an officer or by the owner, operator or other person in control of that place.
It shall be unlawful for a minor, during curfew hours, to remain in or upon any public place within the Borough, to remain in any motor vehicle operating or parked therein or thereon or to remain in or upon the premises of any establishment within the Borough, unless:
1. 
The minor is accompanied by a parent; or
2. 
The minor is involved in an emergency; or
3. 
The minor is engaged in an employment activity, or is going to or returning home from such activity, without detour or stop; or
4. 
The minor is on the sidewalk directly abutting a place where he or she resides with a parent; or
5. 
The minor is attending an activity sponsored by a school, religious or civic organization, a public organization or agency or by another similar organization or entity, which activity is supervised by adults, and/or the minor is going to or returning from such an activity without detour or stop; or
6. 
The minor is on an errand at the direction of a parent, and the minor has in his or her possession a writing signed by the parent containing the following information: the name, signature, address and telephone number of the parent authorizing the errand, the telephone number where the parent may be reached during the errand, the name of the minor, and a brief description of the errand, the minor's destination(s) and the hours the minor is authorized to be engaged in the errand; or
7. 
The minor is involved in interstate travel through, or beginning or terminating in, the Borough of Homestead; or
8. 
The minor is exercising rights protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, such as the free exercise of religion, freedom of speech and the right to assembly.
It shall be unlawful for a minor's parent to knowingly permit, encourage or suffer or by negligent or inefficient control allow such minor to violate § 6-203.
It shall be unlawful for a person who is the owner or operator of any motor vehicle to knowingly permit, allow or encourage a violation of § 6-203.
It shall be unlawful for the operator of any establishment, or for any person who is an employee thereof, to knowingly permit, allow or encourage a minor to remain upon the premises of the establishment during curfew hours. It shall be a defense to prosecution under this section that the operator or employee of an establishment promptly notified the Police Department that a minor was present at the establishment after curfew hours and refused to leave.
It shall be unlawful for any person (including any minor) to give a false name, address or telephone number to any officer investigating a possible violation of § 6-203.
1. 
Minors. Before taking any enforcement action hereunder, an officer shall make an immediate investigation for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not the presence of a minor in a public place, motor vehicle and/or establishment within the Borough during curfew hours is in violation of § 6-203.
A. 
If such investigation reveals that the presence of such minor is in violation of § 6-203, then:
(1) 
If the minor has not previously been issued a warning for any such violation, then the officer shall issue an oral warning to the minor that the minor is in violation of curfew and shall direct the minor to proceed at once to the minor's home or usual place of abode. The oral warning shall be followed by a written warning mailed by the Police Department to the minor and the minor's parent(s); or
(2) 
If the minor refuses to heed the warning or has previously been issued a warning for any such violation, then the officer shall charge the minor with a violation of this Part and shall issue a summons requiring the minor to appear in court.
B. 
As soon as practicable, the officer may:
(1) 
Take the minor to the minor's parent(s); or
(2) 
Bring the minor to the Police Department for a period not to exceed the remainder of the curfew hours, and notify the minor's parent(s) to come to the Police Department and take charge of the minor; or
(3) 
If a minor refuses to give an officer his or her name and address, refuses to give the name and address of his or her parent(s) or if no parent can be located prior to the end of the applicable curfew hours, or if located, no parent appears to accept custody of the minor, the minor may be taken to a nonsecure crisis center or juvenile shelter and/or may be taken to a judge or intake officer of the juvenile court to be dealt with in the manner and pursuant to such procedures as required by law.
2. 
Others. Before taking any enforcement action hereunder, an officer shall make an immediate investigation for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not the other is in violation of § 6-204, 6-205 or 6-206.
A. 
If an investigation by an officer reveals that a person has violated § 6-204, 6-205 and/or 6-206, and if the person has not previously been issued a warning with respect to any such violation, an officer shall issue a warning to the person, which shall be followed by a written warning mailed by the Police Department to the person;
B. 
If any such warning has previously been issued to that person, then the officer shall charge the person with a violation and shall issue a summons directing the person to appear in court.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see AO)]
Any person who violates or permits a violation of this Part shall, upon conviction in a summary proceeding under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure, be guilty of a summary offense and shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000, plus court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees incurred by the Borough in the enforcement proceedings. Upon judgment against any person by summary conviction, or by proceedings by summons on default of the payment of the fine or penalty imposed and the costs, the defendant may be sentenced and committed to the county correctional facility for a period not exceeding 30 days. Each day that such violation exists shall constitute a separate offense, and each section of this Part that is violated shall also constitute a separate offense. In addition to or in lieu of enforcement under this section, the Borough may enforce this Part in equity in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County.