Curfew in Munday

Insde City Hall, January 28,
2009

Maybe I have forgotten just how much fun it must be to stay up late, or out late. I went through this with my youngest son, who loved to be out running around at all hours of the night. I told him then, “After midnight, the only people out are the ones who are up to mischief and the police, and you are not a policeman.”

Munday teenagers take notice: you are not invisible. In fact you are very noticeable. Some are carrying little green slips in their pockets, because they are afraid to tell their parents about the citation.

I’ve written about this before, but here we go again. Munday has an ordinance that spells out curfew hours. School nights the curfew is 11:00 p.m. to 6 a.m.. I’ll spell out the days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Friday and Saturday it’s 12:01 a.m. until 6 a.m. This next part is a surprise to most: Between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday when our schools are in session, there is also a curfew. If teenagers aren’t in school, they should be off the streets.

Minors cannot be in public places during curfew hours; public places are off limits. Parents or guardians who are with minors in public places during curfew hours are also committing an offense.
Since Munday has no juvenile court, all minors cited for curfew violation will be tried in Municipal Court.

A parent or guardian of the minor who violates this ordinance is, if convicted, subject to a fine not to exceed $500.

The owner, operator or employee of an establishment who violates this ordinance is, upon conviction, subject to a fine not to exceed $500.

A minor may be prosecuted in Municipal Court for a violation of this ordinance and upon conviction can receive a fine not to exceed $500. Court costs for an ordinance violation is $54.

Curfew violation is not taken lightly, it is a serious offense. When buildings are burgled, cars broken into, and vandalism occurs, minors seen running around town late at night are prime suspects. So, parents, drill this into your minor teenager’s head. They need to think about what they are doing or what they intend to do.

Thinking is not that difficult, it does, however, take a little practice. Parents try this exercise at home: set aside 15 minutes a day for your children to practice thinking. Give them something to think about, then test them. If they can’t tell you what they were thinking about, do it again. In fact, do it until they can tell you. No interruptions please, give them to time to complete their assignment.

On a lighter note: In Sterling, Colorado, cats may only run loose if they have been fitted with a taillight. In Florida if an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle. In Pennsylvania guns, cannons, revolvers or other explosive weapons must not be fired at a wedding. In Racine, Wisconsin, firemen must not be woken up when they are asleep.

I haven’t given up on Judge Roy Bean, so be patient, he will show up again.

Court hours are now 8:15 -12, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Special arrangements can be made by calling the office, 422-5220. If you call this number and leave a message for someone else at City Hall, they may not get it for a day or so.


I apolgize for being absent so long. No real excuse, but I did go through a time with gout and not wanting to do anything.

Why did I write about the curfew again? I have touched on the drug problem and teenage crime recently in my articles. I believe this all goes together. The drug problem at high school is probably worse than I had imagined. Evidently there is no discipline at all. At least three girls are pregnant: when asked about it, superintendent Dillard said he didn't know about it. We are close to losing our schools altogether, the state will not allow this type of management to continue. Pray for these problems and for the people involved.