Margate police announce they will ticket parents for their teenagers’ behaviour

MARGATE, NJ — A warning has been issued in Margate about violent teenagers. But the warning is aimed at parents: They are the ones who will now receive a fine.

Police in Margate, New Jersey, announced they would enforce an existing ordinance that allows them to issue summonses to parents of minors who are found unattended after the 10 p.m. curfew or otherwise violate local laws.

The tickets require an appearance in District Court and can result in fines of up to $1,000 and up to 90 days of community service, which may have to be completed with your child.

“Following recent high-profile events related to youth safety in our coastal communities, Margate City Police are taking a more proactive approach,” police said in a Facebook post.

The problem of large groups of unsupervised youth has caused unrest in coastal cities over holiday weekends and in other cities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey during planned local festivals.

Coastal towns, including most recently Wildwood, have imposed backpack bans and curfews. Over Memorial Day weekend, which saw a stabbing on the Ocean City boardwalk and general unrest in Seaside Heights and other coastal towns, Wildwood declared a state of emergency to clear the boardwalk overnight.

Some cities have canceled fairs and festivals, and police chiefs in coastal towns have called for stricter laws, including ones that hold parents accountable.

” READ MORE: Rebellious young people disrupt festivals and carnival events and lead to their cancellation

But Margate’s Ordinance 117-4 is already in effect.

In previous years, large groups of teenagers on Margate’s beaches and outside the notorious “Club Wa” Wawa have attracted public attention, but this summer Margate has remained more under the radar. Margate Police said their aim was to “prevent some of the problems that seaside towns have experienced this summer season”.

“In the past, MCPD has been able to keep an eye on crowds with increased staffing and additional patrols, but as in cities along the coast, we are reaching our limits and in light of recent, highly publicized incidents, we ask parents to take responsibility for the behavior of their underage and unsupervised children,” police wrote.

Ordinance 117-4 (Parental Responsibility) is enforced between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. “whenever officers observe that a minor is unsupervised and is behaving in a manner that is unlawful, endangers his safety, or when he ignores lawful instructions from officers seeking to ensure his safety.”

The teenagers will be taken to the police station and a “responsible adult” will be called to take the child into custody. The parents will also be served with a summons, police said.

The child could also be accused of all the crimes that were the reason for the police intervention.

A first offense will result in a fine of between $100 and $1,000 and/or up to 90 days of community service, as determined by the District Court Judge. Second and subsequent offenses will result in fines not exceeding $1,000 and/or 90 days of community service.

“If both a juvenile and his or her parents or guardians violate this chapter, they may be jointly required to perform community service,” the ordinance states.

“We and other police departments and public officials in the state have been asking parents to be more careful with their children for the past several years,” Margate police wrote. “To date, these requests have had little to no success, prompting us to take this action to ensure the safety of those in the community.”

Neither Police Chief Matthew Hankinson, Mayor Michael Collins nor Public Safety Commissioner Catherine Horn returned calls seeking comment or further information.