The Township Committee of the Township of Riverside does specifically
find and determine that a substantial number of incidents involved
in the violation of public peace are committed by minors and in a
significant part are occasioned by the failure of the parent of the
minor to exercise reasonable control and supervision over said minor.
There presently exist in the State of New Jersey certain statutes
which do afford a means whereby parents are alerted to the responsibilities
to both the minor and to society in general, and it is the legislative
judgment of the Township Committee, after investigation of all facts,
that supplemental local legislation is desirable and necessary to
accomplish and enforce effective parental control and responsibility
over minors. It is this void that this chapter is intended to fulfill
pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-1.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
MINOR
Any person under the age of 18 years.
PARENT
Includes either or both parents of a minor, legal guardian
(as guardian of such minor) or other persons having the care or custody
of the minor committing the violation of the public peace. In order
to sustain a conviction under this chapter, it shall not be necessary
to prove that the minor resided in or with the offending parent.
VIOLATION OF THE PUBLIC PEACE
Defacing, damaging or destroying public property or the private
property of another within the Township of Riverside; committing an
assault or assault and battery upon another in the Township of Riverside;
or consuming and/or possession of alcoholic beverages and/or harmful
drugs in a public place in the Township.
An offense by a parent shall be rebuttably presumed pursuant to §
295-4 of this chapter when the following events occur: If a minor has been convicted before a court of competent jurisdiction of an act defined as juvenile delinquency or juvenile offense, which conviction the parents shall be rebuttably presumed to have knowledge of, and such minor shall again be charged and socially convicted of the same classification of offense, then, in that event, it shall be rebuttably presumed that the parent allowed, permitted and suffered said minor to commit a violation of the public peace.
It shall be unlawful for any parent to assist, aid, abet, allow,
permit, suffer or encourage such minor to commit a violation of the
public peace, as defined herein, either by overt act, by failure to
act or by lack of supervision and control over such minor.
[Amended 9-25-1995 by Ord. No. 1995-10; 8-23-2006 by Ord. No.
2006-18]
Any person, firm, corporation, association or legal party whatsoever who shall violate, or authorize or procure a violation, or cause to be violated, any provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be punishable as provided under Chapter
1, Article
II, General Penalty.
The remedy provisions of this chapter shall be cumulative, not
exclusive, and the state or any other person shall have the right
to proceed under any other legally available remedies.