Cambridge to Extend Curfew for Minors

(CAMBRIDGE, Md) – The Cambridge City Council is extending an ordinance for another year.

The ordinance is an extension to a curfew for minors originally implemented in 2022.

The City Council held a second reading Monday night and have agreed to extend the curfew another year.

Members of the community and law enforcement are hoping for continued results.

Cambridge Police Chief Justin Todd tells us since they enacted the curfew in 2022, they’ve prevented teens from getting involved in violence.

He says, “I think it’s important for our city and it’s important for our youth to have things like this in place to, one: help keep you safe. But also to recognize issues that may be going on with certain juveniles that we may be able to help control…”

The extension for the curfew was first brought up at an August City Council meeting, they mentioned seven youth-involved homicides in 2022. Now they’re averaging around 16 curfew violations since then.

And for some Cambridge residents, keeping kids out of jail…or possibly worse is a small sacrifice.

“I think it’s a great idea. The crime rate here is mostly involving juveniles. So them being having to be in the house at a certain time, reduce that risk,” says Renae Phelps.

While Diana Wilson says, “It’ll be good. I would love it when kids wouldn’t be out on a certain time, maybe in their house.”

With the extension of the juvenile curfew comes the goal of further reducing the number of citations Cambridge Police are handing out. As well as and working to increase the access to a major resource for troubled minors.

“I think the teen court factored into the ordinance this year. It allows us, the police department, to interact with kids that are violating this curfew. So therefore, we bring them in and they’re judged amongst their peers…” says Chief Todd.

The extension to the curfew goes into effect October first.