Parents whose children repeatedly run afoul of the village now face tougher penalties under a new Twin Lakes law.
The new ordinance provides a penalty from $25 to $500 for those convicted under its provisions.
The ordinance says any custodial parent whose child has a municipal code violation twice within six months or three or more times within a year is failing to properly supervise the child and can be prosecuted under the ordinance. Defense against conviction include:
- Not being legally responsible for the supervision of the child.
- The parent having a physical or mental disability rendering them incapable of supervising the child,.
- The parent reported the child’s violation to police when it occurred or shortly after.
Chief Dale R. Racer called the former ordinance “antiquated, vague” and “very restrictive.” It only held a parent responsible when the child “does an act that is wilful and malicious, causing injury to a person or causes property damage.”
“Under this ordinance the police department has limited recourse to hold parents responsible for their children,” Racer wrote about the old ordinance in a memo asking that the new ordinance be drafted. “The police department is repeatedly issuing municipal citation to the same juveniles, such as curfew, underage drinking, truancy, etc. and the parents are failing to take responsibility for these acts by their repeat offender.”
