KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -
Teens who want to roam the Country Club Plaza will need to find somewhere else to go after 9 p.m.
The summer curfew kicks in tonight. This comes after the Kansas City Council last August approved a new curfew law.
This came after problems at the Country Club Plaza culminated in shots ringing out near Mayor Sly James. Three teens were shot within 50 feet of James and his entourage.
Police said they won't beef up patrols on the Plaza tonight and hope they won't have to issue their first curfew violation. Parents will be contacted if their children are caught violating the ordinance.
The 9 p.m. curfew is in effect in the five entertainment districts for teens 17 years old and younger, not accompanied by a parent or guardian. Besides the Plaza, the other entertainment districts are downtown, Westport, the 18th and Vine Historic Jazz District and Zona Rosa.
For the remainder of the city, the curfew is 10 p.m. for those 15 years old or younger. The curfew is 11 p.m. for 16 and 17 year olds.
Previously, the city had an 11 p.m. curfew on weeknights and midnight curfew on weekends.
The 9 p.m. curfew will be in effect from the Friday before Memorial Day through the last Sunday in September.
Those areas have the same curfew as the rest of the city during the remainder of the year.
Sgt. Stacey Graves, a spokeswoman for the Kansas City Police Department, said the curfew is a tool for police officers in dealing with rowdy kids.
"There may be one or two in the crowd that may start the trouble," Graves said. "This is just an option. This is to kind of curb some of that behavior."
Police said the department is working to let parents know about the curfew.
"We've sent letters to schools notifying them exactly what the curfew is, and hopefully, they'll pass that information along to their parents," Graves said.
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