The Detroit Police Department is asking city council to increase its enforcement of the city’s youth curfew. Fines for the parents of kids out past 10 p.m. is $75 and could go up to $200.  

This is a response to an increase in violence among young people, including several shootings this month.

The issue of teen violence recently came up at Detroit’s Board of Police Commissioners Community meeting. It’s also started a conversation about how to better support young people in Detroit. 

Metro Producer Jack Filbrandt talked to Detroit Documenter Nadia Ziyad and Coordinator Lynelle Herndon about solutions that are being discussed at meetings and in the community. 

We also spoke with Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison last week about the changes to Detroit’s curfew fines. He said the fines are meant to encourage parent accountability and prevent those parents from greater problems down the road. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

More stories from The Metro

Last week, Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison joined Mayor Mike Duggan and other officials in announcing the launch of a new teen violence prevention plan.

Under the new plan, minors age 15 and under must be with a parent after 10 p.m. The curfew for children ages 16 and 17 is 11 p.m. The plan also calls for increased curfew enforcement, illegal block party enforcement, and higher fines for breaking curfews.

The “crackdown” on curfew violations is in response to recent shooting incidents involving children in the city. But how effective can that be in stopping violent crime, and what else is the city doing to stop violence at the root?

Bettison joined The Metro on Tuesday to discuss the city’s new violence prevention plan and talk about why violence tends to spike during the summer months.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

More stories from The Metro