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While the experience did not seem to have much of an impact on the three minors, curfew center officials said the program is successful because it takes the youths off the streets, where they can either engage in wrongdoing or become a victim of crime.
At the center, kids can draw, watch television and play cards, chess or Scrabble, among other activities. There even are cots in case they’re tired. All cell phones and iPods are confiscated until they leave.
"We keep them out of harm’s way," said Yvonne Downey, director of the local center.
The curfew for 13- to 17-year-olds is 10:30 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, including the summer. For those age 12 and younger, curfew is 9 p.m. (9:30 in the summer) during the week and 10 p.m. on weekends.
Curfew violators are not arrested, but the potential penalty for minors is a $250 fine and community service, even for a first violation. Parents also can be fined or even sent to jail for 90 days for subsequent offenses.
However, the focus of the program is not on punishment, at least not until the entire city is covered by a curfew center.
Instead, the focus is on convincing kids and their parents that the streets can be dangerous after hours. The youths are treated with dignity and respect, and nobody raises their voice.
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The center works closely with the city’s Office of Behavioral Health, and also can assist any young person who is suicidal, has an addiction, is a runaway or has problems at home or school.
"We educate them about things that can help them, not hurt them," said Sean Parker, a behavioral-health assessor at Northeast Treatment Centers.
The city created the curfew centers because of the high level of violence that happens late at night and in the early-morning hours.
Almost half of all shootings and murders in 2006 took place after curfew. Among juveniles last year, 90 were shot and five were killed after curfew.
During the first six months of 2006, there were 36 shootings of juveniles west of Broad Street in South Philadelphia. That figure, along with complaints from residents about teenagers hanging on corners late at night, led to the opening in July 2006 of the first curfew center, at 20th and Mifflin streets.
More than a year later, according to the city, juvenile shootings in that section of South Philly have declined by 44 percent.
Since then, curfew centers have opened in West Kensington, Southwest Philadelphia, North Philadelphia and Nicetown. The Frankford center opened on April 26.
Five more centers are planned, including one that would cover the Northeast’s 2nd, 7th and 8th police districts.
The hours of operation are Thursdays from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., and Sundays from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m.
According to project manager Ronald George, more than 2,000 youths have been brought to a curfew center in the last 14 months.
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To operate one of the centers, the city needs a community organization to open its doors and volunteers to come out in the middle of the night.
The Rev. Catherine Bowers, executive director of the Frankford Group Ministry, was glad to offer her agency’s services.
"Nothing good happens with a young person out at two and three in the morning," she said.
More than 400 kids have been brought to the FGM curfew center in the last five months. There have been no serious security issues, only a handful of bad attitudes among some kids. Parents have generally been receptive.
Bowers, who lives in Frankford, thinks the center is making a difference. There have been only a few repeat curfew violators.
"We’ve touched a lot of lives here, and a lot of young people are staying in after curfew," she said.
Bowers and Downey, director of the Frankford center, agree that it could not be effective without the cooperation of Capt. Frank Bachmayer, commander of the 15th Police District, and his officers.
Also, the program wouldn’t work without dedicated volunteers. In all, there are 38 volunteers, though only 15 are active.
"To see them interact with these kids, it does my heart good," Downey said.
The volunteers are treated monthly to a lunch, a trip on Ride the Ducks sightseeing vessels, or in other ways.
But that’s not why Peggy Hoch and Nancy Doerr volunteer their time. Both are at the center three times a week.
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Hoch, who lives on Tackawanna Street in Frankford, considers her efforts rewarding. She tries to show the youths that the community cares about their well-being and that help is available to them.
Hoch has seen a difference already.
"My street’s awful quiet after 10:30," she said.
Doerr lives in Rhawnhurst but is active across the Northeast, including serving as vice president of the 15th Police District Advisory Council. She believes that the center’s location in a church, rather than a police station, has a positive influence on the youths.
"It’s a safe haven," she said.
Officer Arthur Green, of the 15th Police District, said children and their parents should be grateful for the city’s concern.
"If I was a parent," he said, "I’d much rather get a call from a curfew center than the morgue." ••
For more information or to report a curfew violator, call 215-683-5770.
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com