The parents of children who act up in the Jersey Shore town of Margate City will be fined this summer for their badly behaved kids.
Margate City Police said Wednesday they intend to enforce an ordinance allowing officers to ticket parents who leave underage children unattended in public spaces between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Ticketing can occur “when officers observe a juvenile unsupervised and engaging in any behavior that is unlawful, puts their safety at risk, or if they ignore lawful commands from officers attempting to keep them safe.”
The ordinance could lead to juveniles being taken into custody and potentially charged with whatever offense prompted the police response.
Cops said they’re being “pushed to [their] limit” and are asking parents to police their own children as the warm weather months get underway.
“After recent well-publicized events regarding the safety of juveniles in our shore communities, the Margate City Police Department is taking a more proactive approach to dealing with the many issues that the large groups of unsupervised juveniles pose,” the Margate City Police Department posted on Facebook.
The ordinance forbids juveniles to “loiter, idle, wander, stroll or play in or upon the public streets, highways, roads, alleys, parks, playgrounds, wharves, docks or other public grounds, public places and public buildings, vacant lots, any automobile or vehicle or other unsupervised places” overnight.
Should a child be detained, a parent or guardian will need to retrieve them from the police station, at which point a summons of up to $1,000 will be issued. If found guilty, negligent parents and their unruly kids can be sentenced to 90 days of community service that they may have to perform together.
Margate City is located near the southern tip of the Jersey Shore, just below Atlantic City and roughly 125 miles from New York City. The city describes itself as “perfect for those who want to enjoy a small town lifestyle with access to big city nightlife.”
