This is an updating of the Borough Curfew Ordinance prescribing, in accordance with prevailing community standard, regulations for the conduct of minors on streets at night, effectively enforced, taught in the homes, internalized and adhered to for generations, all for the good of minors, for the furtherance of family responsibility, and for the public good, safety and welfare.
A. Council finds that the curfew meets a very real local need, has been over the years a significant factor in minimizing juvenile delinquency and should be updated and amplified in light of Dauphin’s geography and facts. Dauphin is one of the oldest municipalities in Dauphin County, which is bounded on the west by the Susquehanna River and otherwise entirely by Middle Paxton Township. Dauphin has a compact densely built up residential area in the older section of the Borough and a suburban residential development in the Forest Hills section of the Borough, together with several parks and commercial establishments. This community sense of the proper time for cessation of outdoor activities by minors on the streets is reflected in the curfew hours declared by this Part which takes into consideration also the danger hours for nocturnal crime and for accumulations of minors with potential risks incident to immaturity.
B. Council finds that Dauphin is approaching full development, but is not overcrowded. Population density, as reflected in the Borough Comprehensive Plan, varies from neighborhood to neighborhood. Residential land use predominates and single-family dwellings occupy the largest portion of the residential area. Public park facilities are established for future use, and are currently in the developmen tal phases. Adequate indoor living space permits minors in Dauphin to healthfully occupy their time. Commercial recreational facilities are nonexistent and there is little or nothing for minors to do outdoors, but roam the streets, after the curfew hours which this Part declares.
C. Council further finds that the Dauphin population is slightly in excess of 1,200. Dauphin is a stable family community. Parental responsibility for the whereabouts of children is the norm, legal sanctions to enforce such responsibility have had a demonstrated effectiveness over the years, as parental control increases likelihood of juvenile delinquency decreases and there is a continuing need for the nocturnal curfew for minors which has achieved and will continue to achieve under local conditions the purposes hereinbefore stated.
(Ord. 79-6, 10/23/1979, §2)