original story with video

Dallas Police say much of the crime that's committed in their city is committed by juveniles and most of the time they do it when they should be in school. Today the city moved a step closer to curbing that problem with a daytime curfew.

Dallas Police often pick up students who are skipping school and take them to campus.  However, the truancy problem is still not going away.  Raymond Brown says he used to skip school quite a bit.  Brown said, " Kids gonna do what they wanna do anyway so if the only way to stop them is to fine 'em then it's best that that they fine 'em."

Fining students is what Dallas Police want to start doing. They asked the city council to extend the nighttime curfew for kids under seventeen to school hours.  Lieutenant Robert Hinton said, " That would reduce juvenile crime, juvenile violence and juvenile gang activity during school hours."

  Hinton showed the City Council's Public Safety Committee a map that showed juvenile crime is worse in places where officers find the most truants.  The daytime curfew would not affect kids when school is not in session, if they're in a work study program, if they're having lunch at school and their school is an open campus, if they have an excused absence, or if they are a high school graduate.  The committee voted for the daytime curfew and sent a strong message to the Dallas Independent School District.

    Council member Dwaine Caraway said, " DISD needs to be in this room and they are not and I want to make sure that they understand that they should be here."

   Dallas I.S.D. Is supporting a daytime curfew.  District spokesperson Sandra Guerrero said, " Because one, our students will get to be where they need to be and that is in school and it will keep them out of trouble and it will keep them safe."

    Guerrero says the school district is limited as to what it can do to stop truants because its officers have to stick pretty close to campuses.  Also, truancy laws don't kick in until a child has ten absences.  

   Some believe fining truants will only punish their parents.  Dallas resident William Ayers said, " Especially if they're barely making it.  It's hard taking care of kids."  Ethel Young said, " This will really draw attention to them and finding out what their kids do every day."  Police say when they find out, they could be very disappointed.

   The full City Council won't vote on the daytime curfew until April.  If if passes, it would go into effect in the next school year.