DETROIT (WXYZ) — City and police officials in Detroit are pushing for steeper penalties for parents whose children break curfew, following a spike in teen gun violence.
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison is advocating for the increased fines after what he says was a particularly troubling start to July.
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"We actually had six teenagers under the age of 18 that had been shot and four of them were during hours where if they had been inside and following the curfew, it wouldn't have happened," Bettison said.
The department has made curfew enforcement a priority over the past two weeks, issuing 124 curfew violations against minors and 81 parental responsibility tickets.
Bettison says community members have called to report incidents and they haven't seen any teenagers shot while out after curfew in recent weeks.
"Being able to hold our parents accountable. Do you know where your children are? It can save lives," Bettison said.
Previous coverage: City of Detroit outlines plan to step up enforcement of teen curfews following rash of violence
The proposed changes would amend the city ordinance on adult responsibility for minors in public places, increasing first-offense fines from between $75 and $100 to $250, and second offenses to $500. Parents with second offenses could also face probation requiring completion of court-approved programs like parenting skills, family services, employment and training.
It hasn't been raised since 1987.
"It's really not punitive. I'm just trying to get behavior to change, and so some folks will say are you just trying to get more money from the city — absolutely not. I'm just working to get individuals' attention and then also working with 36th District Court and then also having conversations with our juvenile court as well to ensure that we have supportive services for parents that need them also," Bettison said.
"A gunshot wound costs a whole lot more than a curfew fine or ticket."
Related video: Community marks one year since 21 people were shot at Detroit block party
However, critics argue the approach criminalizes poverty and disproportionately impacts Black families in Detroit.
"I don't think that's the answer to the problem. I think that maybe some parents will hear it and maybe some parents will be vigilant about tracking where their kids are. But I think to go to $250, I think that's really high and you already have families that are struggling," juvenile justice attorney Robin McCoy said.
McCoy worked with the Michigan Children's Law Center for 13 years.
"I saw a lot of kids that were struggling with poverty issues, like making sure that kids have food, clothing, shelter," McCoy said.
She believes there are better alternatives to addressing the issue including keeping kids busy.
"It can be something happening in the home with the parent, so it's like you really want to try to get to the root cause of what's causing these problems and get to solutions," McCoy said.
Kennedy Williams, a Detroit resident, thinks about the impact on working parents.
"They could put something in place if they did enforce it to relay OK, I'm at work at this time, so my children, they take the bus and this is the schedules, so it wouldn't really affect them," Williams said.
Other parents support the stricter enforcement.
"You gotta pay the price for their actions sometimes. If they're not going to school, we gotta pay the price," Detroit parent Lakeia Whitson said.
The public will have a chance to weigh in on the proposed changes at a city council hearing on Monday at 10:45 a.m. downtown.
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