[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of
Ligonier 7-9-2009 by Ord. No. 543. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The purpose of this chapter is to:
A.
Promote the general welfare and protect the general public through
the reduction of juvenile crime within the Borough;
B.
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 vandalism, and to being victimized by older
perpetrators of crime; and
C.
Foster and strengthen parental responsibility for children.
As used within this chapter, the following words and phrases
shall have the meanings ascribed to them below:
Refers to the hours of 11:00 p.m. through 6:00 a.m.
Refers to 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.
Refers to 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.
Refers to any person under 18 years of age who has not been
emancipated by court order.
Refers to a police or other law enforcement officer charged
with the duty of enforcing the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
and/or ordinances of the Borough.
Refers to:
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);
A person who is the biological or adoptive parent with whom
a minor regularly resides;
A person judicially appointed as a legal guardian of the minor;
and/or
Refers to an individual, not to any association, corporation,
or any other legal entity.
Refers to 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 schools, hospitals, apartment houses, office buildings, transportation
facilities and shops.
Refers to the following actions:
Refers to a nonlocked, nonrestrictive shelter at which minors
may wait, under visual supervision, to be retrieved by a parent. No
minors waiting in such facility shall be handcuffed and/or secured
(by handcuffs or otherwise) to any stationary object.
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:
A.
The minor is accompanied by a parent; or
B.
The minor is involved in an emergency; or
C.
The minor is engaged in an employment activity, or is going to or
returning home from such activity, without detour or stop; or
D.
The minor is on the sidewalk directly abutting a place where he or
she with a parent resides; or
E.
The minor is attending an activity sponsored by a school, religious,
or civic organization, by 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
F.
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
G.
The minor is involved in interstate travel through, or beginning
or terminating in, the Borough; or
H.
The minor is exercising First Amendment rights protected by the United
States Constitution, such as the free exercise of religion, freedom
of speech and the right of assembly.
It shall be unlawful for a minor's parent to knowingly permit, allow or encourage such minor to violate above § 70-3.
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 above section (B).
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 this section.
A.
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 above § 70-3.
(1)
If such investigation reveals that the presence of such minor is in violation of above § 70-3, then:
(a)
The officer may charge the minor with a violation of this chapter
and issue a summons requiring the minor to appear in court; or
(b)
If the minor has not previously been issued a warning for any
such violation, then the officer may issue an oral warning to the
minor, which shall be followed by a written warning mailed by the
Police Department to the minor and his or her parent(s);
(c)
However, if the minor has previously been issued a warning for
any such violation, then the officer shall charge the minor with a
violation of this chapter and shall issue a summons requiring the
minor to appear in court; and
(2)
As soon as practicable, the officer shall:
(a)
Release the minor to his or her parent(s); or
(b)
Place the minor in a temporary care facility for a period not
to exceed the remainder of the curfew hours, so that his or her parent(s)
may retrieve the minor; or
(c)
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.
B.
Others. If an investigation by an officer reveals that a person has violated above § 70-4, 70-5, 70-6 or 70-7, then:
(1)
The officer may charge the person with a violation and issue a summons
directing the person to appear in court; or
(2)
If the person has not previously been issued a warning with respect
to any such violation, an officer may issue an oral warning to the
person, which shall be followed by a written warning mailed by the
Police Department to the person;
(3)
However, if any such warning has been previously 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.
Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this chapter
shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not
more than $200 and costs of prosecution. If any person shall be in
default of payment of such fine and costs, such person may be sentenced
to imprisonment for not more than five days.