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Officials discuss merits of daytime curfew

Mike Desmond/wbfo news

Some believe a daytime city curfew for students 17 and under would improve Buffalo Public School attendance and reduce youth crime. The concept was discussed at a Monday meeting.

There is a problem locally of kids who don't go to school. Some are committing crimes but police say most are just wandering around, avoiding classes. City schools have a significant absenteeism problem.

Councilmember Rasheed Wyatt is spearheading an effort for a daytime curfew, where police will be able to take kids to a site where they can be checked to see why they cut class.

E-District Police Chief Carmen Menza said the weather helps.
               
"The kids aren't going to hang out until the nice weather approaches. That's when kids will be skipping school and that's when my crimes will be going up, as well," said Menza.

Wyatt said that's why there is a rush to get the curfew into effect before kids start the summer vacation. The council member says there are deeper issues to resolve.
                  
"It's definitely a problem. Because one of the biggest issues that we all know that's been a national issue is young men being locked up, a lot of them aren't getting an education," Wyatt said.

"This is our opportunity to help their parents, to try to keep them safe so that they don't go to jail, so that they do have opportunity. Buffalo's going to have this big boom and some of them won't be able to participate because they do have records."

Right now, the details are the problem, like where the kids will be taken because they will not be under arrest.
 

Mike Desmond is one of Western New York’s most experienced reporters, having spent nearly a half-century covering the region for newspapers, television stations and public radio. He has been with WBFO and its predecessor, WNED-AM, since 1988. As a reporter for WBFO, he has covered literally thousands of stories involving education, science, business, the environment and many other issues. Mike has been a long-time theater reviewer for a variety of publications and was formerly a part-time reporter for The New York Times.