COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Columbia City Council recently made the Five Points curfew permanent, banning those 16 years and younger from the streets between 11p and 6am. It proved to be effective while it was in place temporarily for two months, and most believe the Council made the right decision to enforce it permanently.
Now many are calling for that curfew to be expanded to other parts of the city, but I think we should err on the side of caution. First of all, let's give it some time to see if it really does make a difference. Secondly, there are legal ramifications for a citywide enforcement according to some civil liberty groups without more substantial supportive data.
Let's not stretch our law enforcement personnel too thin or give anyone too much room to sue the city over this curfew until we see it in action for awhile and assess whether the reward justifies the risk..
That's my perspective. What's yours?
