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Can’t We All Just Come Together For Curfew?
posted (April 6, 2016)

So with all these conflicting views on the ongoing Child Curfew Initiative where is the common ground? And how do we all move forward? Well the Southside Commander has already made it clear that he is not relenting and wants to see the program succeed. So where is the comprise? After hearing out every child advocacy group here are some alternatives that ACP Williams offered in the hopes of moving forward.

ACP Chester Williams - OC, Eastern Division South

"I have two options, I would want to agree with them in terms of not taking the children to the police station and I can offer two alternatives. One have a social worker on call during the night time. When we pick up the children we call the social worker, we deal with the child and parent there and then and if the social worker believe that the environment that the child will be going back into is one that is safe and conducive to that child then by all means let the child go home with the parent. If the social worker believes that the environment is not one that is safe and conducive to the wellbeing of that child then the social worker finds alternative accommodations for that child until they can find a more permanent situation that the child can live in. The second alternatives I have if the police station is so bad as they say then get a drop off house. Rent a house somewhere to be a drop off house. Hire social workers to stay in the house so that when we pick up the children at night time instead of taking them to the police station we take them to the drop off house. And as a part of that what we can do, we could also have a police officer working there with the social worker."

"I have also told UNICEF if they want to assist, I am inviting them to do training with the police in the handling of children. I welcome that, this is something that I know can work and I want it to work because after all it is for the benefit of our young people, it is for the benefit of our country. We must do something to keep our children safe. I am sick and tired of having to be sending my officers to pick up a child who has been killed or to see a child who has killed someone going to prison; we need to bring it to a stop."

Of note is that this is not the first time that a Child Curfew has been implemented. In digging up our archives we noted that the initiative has been implemented at least to 3 other times in the recent past.

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