DAYTON, Ohio — The Dayton Police Department will conduct a curfew sweep Friday because of recent complaints about what the city called “disruptive activities,” including fighting and property destruction, by groups of juveniles late at night and on weekends.

In Dayton, anyone under 18 not accompanied by a parent or guardian cannot “loiter, loaf, or idle on or about any public street, avenue, alley, park or other public place” between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.  

There are some exceptions, such as going directly to or from “any lawful activity, entertainment, or employment with knowledge and consent of the parent, guardian,” according to Dayton’s municipal code.

DPD officers will take anyone picked up after curfew to the Central Business District headquarters on Salem Avenue. They’ll remain there until a parent or legal guardians arrives to take them home.

“Supporting productive futures for young people is a top priority for me," said Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims, Jr. "We cannot have (juveniles) engaged in dangerous and destructive behavior downtown nor anywhere in our community. This curfew is necessary to limit the type of repeat incidents we’ve been seeing.”

Officers from the Dayton Police Department will make “all attempts” to get in contact with a guardian of any juvenile picked up during the sweep, per a release from the city. If DPD can’t locate or contact a guardian, the juvenile will go to the Juvenile Detention Center and remain there until someone can sign for them.

Both the juvenile and their parent or guardian will receive a minor misdemeanor citation. Cara Zinski-Neace, an information officer with DPD, described the citation as similar to a traffic ticket. The adult will also receive a list of resources that aim to help keep the juvenile from breaking curfew again.

Curfew sweeps aren’t new in Dayton, but this is the first one conducted since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Derrick Foward, president of the Dayton Unit NAACP, is in favor of the curfew sweep. His team — which includes Rev. David Fox, a onetime Dayton Police Officer from decades ago — had a recent discussion with Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal to discuss ways to address the emergence of crime involving young people.

Foward’s only potential concern has to do with communicating the plan to the community, given it will take place in just a couple of days. He wants to make sure parents and young people are aware of the sweep to ensure no one is caught off guard.

Zinski-Neace said DPD has hosted an aggressive social media and web campaign to announce the sweep. They also sent out a press release and invited members of the media to discuss it.

After leaving the force, Fox was involved with a round of similar sweeps in the 1990s as a resident and pastor. He called them a “great success” and feels the one on Friday can be as well.

“This is about the safety of the young people and our whole Dayton  community,” he added. “Really the only thing young people can do that late at night is get in trouble. So, this is a call to action to parents, guardians and adults to look out for the young people in the community.

Back in the ‘90s, Fox said patrol officers would partner with volunteers to engage young people believed to have violated the curfew. “They’d walk with them on their beat,” Fox recalled.

Now, DPD officers will patrol alone. But a team of volunteers will engage with the juveniles once they’re at the police station. They’ll remain with them until they’re picked up, according to the DPD information officer.

“The actual sweep is just Friday,” Zinski-Neace said in response to a question about the rest of the holiday weekend. It’s not yet clear if Dayton has plans for curfew enforcement soon.