As Orange County law enforcement slapped backs over the arrest of 51 kids in the “largest-ever” curfew sweep late last night and early today, at least one parent complained to the Weekly about the operation.
The anonymous parent's 16-year-old son, who was described as a college-bound former Sheriff's Explorer, “wanted to be a lawyer, but I can tell you now that he has a hatred toward police and the law like I have never seen–and, quite frankly, I don't blame him.”
Ah, community building!
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The parent left the comment not with the Weekly's most recent curfew post . . .
. . . but with an item about last year's curfew operation that rounded up 67 kids:
Here is the full comment:
My 16-year-old son was picked up and arrested for curfew violations while he was driving home. A police officer pulled up to a stoplight, had him roll down his window and then asked him how old he was. When he told them, he was arrested on the spot. Don't they need a reason to stop you in a car? This was all part of a gang roundup/scare kind of thing aimed at getting teens off the street after 10:00. My son was in his car driving, not hanging out on the corner. When the officer called me, I explained that I knew where he was and what he was doing. I was informed that i had to go to the city of Orange to pick him up. He was held in their “jail” bus for more than an hour after I was there while I was forced to watch anti-gang videos. My son is a straight A student who even used to be a sheriff explorer. He wanted to be a lawyer but I can tell you now that he has a hatred toward police and the law like I have never seen–and, quite frankly, I don't blame him. He was hand-cuffed, transported by police car, etc. Is there a law that should have protected him from illegally stopping and detaining a minor. The state of California license laws state that they can drive until 11:00 at night. Oh yes, and apparently they wouldn't have arrested him if he had been coming home from work or church. Also, we were told that the arrests were all fake and that there would not be a record. However, news cameras were walking around capturing images of parents being forced to watch the videos.
The was not the only comment the Weekly received about the curfew sweep. See the Orange County District Attorney's Office statement (in English and Spanish) after the jump . . .
November 19, 2010
LAW ENFORCEMENT NET 51 JUVENILES IN LARGEST-EVER OC CURFEW SWEEP
ORANGE COUNTY – The largest-ever Orange County curfew sweep was
conducted last night by law over 300 law enforcement officers, netting
51 juveniles in violation of city curfew laws. These curfew sweeps,
organized by the Gang Reduction and Intervention Partnership (GRIP), aim
to prevent juveniles from being victims of or participants in gang
crimes. GRIP works to identify at-risk youth, increase school
attendance, and decrease gang activity.
The participating agencies included the Orange County District
Attorney's Office (OCDA), Orange County Sheriff's Department, police
departments from the Cities of Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa,
Fullerton, Garden Grove, La Habra, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Newport
Beach, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, and Tustin, California Highway
Patrol, Orange County Probation Department, and the Cal State Fullerton
and Santa Ana Unified School Police.
Last night and early this morning, officers patrolled Orange County
cities and unincorporated areas for children ages 17 and under out in
public past curfew, in violation of city laws. Curfews in Orange County
begin at 10:00 p.m. or 11:00 p.m., depending on the city, and last until
5:00 a.m. the following day. Minors are prohibited from being in public
during these hours unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian
or are subject to circumstantial exceptions made for minors
participating in employment, educational, or emergency activities.
The teams conducting the curfew sweeps found 51 juveniles in violation
of curfew ordinances. The minors ranged from 12 to 17 years old. The
curfew sweeps focused mainly on areas with a high volume of gang and/or
criminal activity and all gang injunction Safety Zones. In addition to
the curfew sweeps, the enforcement teams provided standard police
patrol.
The minors found in violation of curfew laws were taken in police cars
to law enforcement headquarters and held until their parents arrived to
pick them up. Before releasing the juvenile to their parent, the
juvenile and parent were required to meet with representatives from the
OCDA to discuss the dangers and legal consequences for both the parent
and child for violating curfew laws. They also met with probation
officers for references to resources such as parenting classes,
substance abuse treatment and family therapy.
The legal consequences of violating curfew laws could include
misdemeanor criminal prosecution with penalties ranging from fines up to
six months in jail for the parent or juvenile hall for the child, plus
the associated financial costs. Parents also met with representatives
from Community Service Programs, Inc. for information on resources
available to them to help with their children.
The curfew sweeps are conducted during regular patrol by on-duty
officers and at no extra cost to taxpayers. As a result of GRIP curfew
and truancy programs, including the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Gang
Prevention Incentive, many targeted schools have received as much as
$20,000 each from the State for increased student attendance. The Orange
County Grand Jury recognized GRIP as one of the most effective gang
prevention programs in Orange County.
###
AGENCIAS DE LA LEY DETENIEN A MÁS DE 51 NIÑOS EN ESFUERZO MÁS GRANDE DEL CONDADO DE APLICAR TOQUE DE QUEDA
CONDADO DE ORANGE – Ayer de noche, se aplicó toque de queda por 300
oficiales de la ley, y detuvieron a 51 jóvenes quienes estaban en
violación de las leyes de toque de queda en la ciudad. Estas
aplicaciones de toque de queda, organizadas por Gang Reduction and
Intervention Partnership (GRIP), se enfoca en prevenir a que jóvenes
caigan víctimas o participen en pandillas criminales. GRIP se ocupa en
identificar cuales jóvenes están a riesgo, mejorar participación
escolar, y prevenir actividad de pandillas.
Las agencias que participaron incluyen el Fiscal del Condado de Orange,
el Alguacil del Condado de Orange, los departamentos de policía de
Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Garden Grove, La
Habra, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Orange, Placentia, Santa
Ana, y Tustin, la Patrulla Autopistas de California, el Departamento de
Libertad Condicional del Condado de Orange, y la policía de la
Universidad de California en Fullerton y el Distrito Escolar de Santa
Ana.
Ayer de noche y temprano esta mañana, oficiales patrullaron ciudades y
partes no incorporadas del Condado de Orange, en busca de niños menores
de 17 años de edad, que estaban fuera de casa después del toque de queda
en violación de las leyes de la ciudad. En el Condado de Orange, el
toque de queda comienza a las 10:00 o 11:00 de la noche, dependiendo en
la ciudad, y duran hasta las 5:00 de la mañana el próximo día. Jóvenes
son prohibidos de estar fuera de casa durante esas horas a menos de que
estén acompañados por un pariente o en circunstancias donde participan
en empleo, en una actividad educacional, o en caso de emergencia.
Los oficiales que aplicaron el toque de queda, encontraron a 51 jóvenes
en violación de las ordenanzas de toque de queda. Encontraron a menores
de 12 hasta 17 años de edad. Se aplico el toque de queda mayormente en
áreas donde el crimen y/o actividades de pandillas son acentuados, y las
Zonas Seguras detalladas en el mandato judicial contra pandillas.
Además de aplicar el toque de queda, los oficiales también asistieron en
proveer patrullaje tradicional en las vecindades apuntadas.
Los jóvenes, quienes estaban en violación de las leyes de toque de
queda, fueron trasladados en patrullas a un central de las agencias de
ley, y fueron detenidos hasta que sus padres llegaran a recogerlos.
Antes de librar al joven a su pariente, el pariente y el joven tuvieron
que reunirse con representantes de la Fiscalía del Condado de Orange
para discutir los peligros y consecuencias legales para los padres y el
joven por la violación del toque de queda. También tuvieron que reunirse
con oficiales del Departamento de Libertad Condicional para recibir
información sobre recursos, como clases para padres, tratamientos para
el abuso de drogas, y terapia para la familia.
Las consecuencias legales por violar las leyes de toque de queda
incluyen el procesamiento por delito menor con castigos de multas hasta
seis meses en la cárcel para los padres y cárcel juvenil para el joven,
más los costos asociados. Los padres también se reunieron con
representantes de la organización Community Service Programs, Inc. para
recibir información disponible sobre ayuda con sus hijos.
Las aplicaciones de toque de queda son realizadas por oficiales con la
tarea de patrullar sin cualquier costo adicional al público que paga sus
impuestos. Gracias a los programas de prevención de absentismo y toque
de queda de GRIP, incluyendo la incentiva de prevención contra pandillas
de parte de Los Angeles Angels de Anaheim, las escuelas elegidas
recibieron hasta $20,000 cada una del Estado de California como
recompensa por el aumento de estudiantes que asistieron a clases. El
Gran Jurado del Condado de Orange también reconoció a GRIP como uno de
los programas de prevención contra pandillas más efectivos en el Condado
de Orange.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.