This June, the village of Libertyville passed a new curfew law, which lowered the age that the curfew law applies to, from 18 to 17.
The new law states that people under the age of 17, which also includes 17 year olds, cannot be unsupervised outside of a private residence from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays (Sunday through Thursday nights), and from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. on weekend nights (Friday and Saturday). Another change made in this law is that officers are no longer required to give a warning to first-time offenders.
The main reason this law passed is so Libertyville’s curfew law resembles the state law. “The Libertyville Police Department wanted to revise the old curfew ordinance and bring it in line with state law,” Libertyville police chief Clint Herdegen said in an interview conducted via email.
The curfew rules are different for driving, however. Drivers 16 and 17-years-old cannot drive between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. on weekends. However, police officers cannot pull someone over because they look young. They must be in violation of a driving law to get pulled over, and then they would get an additional ticket.
The curfew fine is a maximum of $500 and can vary. Even though officers are not required to give a warning to first-time offenders, they still might, especially if the offender is respectful, according to Herdegen.
This new law now is the same as the state curfew law. However, not all communities, including some near Libertyville, have the same curfew time. In Waukegan, the curfew is 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays (an hour earlier than Libertyville), and 12 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. Waukegan also has restrictions on younger ages, which is something that Libertyville does not have. Anyone under the age of 14 has a curfew of 9 p.m. – 6 a.m.
Waukegan is not the only community with a different curfew law than the state law. The city of Chicago’s curfew is 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays for 16- and 17-year-olds and 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekends. Similar to Waukegan, they also have a 9 p.m. curfew for anyone under the age of 14. However, in Libertyville, there is only one curfew for all ages, so 16-year-olds have the same curfew as 11-year-olds, which differs from Chicago and Waukegan.
The general opinion around Libertyville High School is that the students like this rule change. “I like the new curfew law,” said junior Brian Flanagan. “I do not have to worry about breaking the curfew law now when I am 18 and can stay out longer if I want to.”
The curfew laws in Libertyville only apply to public places. If a person is at someone’s house, even if it is not their own, then they are not in violation. But if a person is in public, an example being at a restaurant or mall, then they are in violation of the law unless they are accompanied by someone 18 years of age or older. Also, if someone under 18 is driving after curfew, then their license is not valid and that is an offense worthy of a ticket.
There are some exceptions to this law, though. The law exempts someone from the curfew rules if they are returning from attending a school event or work.