A new curfew was put into effect in Lexington for anyone under the age of 18, starting April 14. Curfew has been moved from 1 a.m. to midnight for all seven days. According to LFUCG, the change was made in response to the increasing number of homicides in Lexington. Of last year’s 24 murder victims, seven were under the age of 18.

There are exceptions to the curfew for reasons related to school and community service, such as returning from a trip overnight. In those cases, as long as the teen is accompanied by an adult, it would not be considered a violation. If a minor is employed, and is working past midnight, he or she will need to carry a “clocking out” slip from their manager to show their reason for being on the roads. 

“Really, what the curfew is for is to keep youths off the streets [between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m.] because it’s been reported that that is the time when a lot of juvenile crimes occur,” said Dunbar police officer Morris.