ALLENTOWN: Borough cracking down on teenage loitering

By Nicole Malczan, Special Writer
   ALLENTOWN — Parents of teens under 18 who repeatedly violate a new anti-loitering ordinance aimed at minors could face a stiff fine and a requirement to perform community service.
   The Borough Council adopted an ordinance May 8 intended to help police officers deal with groups of unsupervised minors who have been hanging out downtown, prompting complaints from residents about unruly behavior.
   Patrolman Brian Stab, the borough’s acting officer-in-charge, said Tuesday there have been frequent complaints from residents about loud teenagers congregating in Heritage Park, as well as in parking lots and behind buildings near South Main Street, Lakeview Avenue and the Old Mill. When officers ask the teens to move along or disperse they sometimes talk back or refuse to listen, he said.
   ”This gives us a tool to deal with something that doesn’t quite rise to the level of a criminal offense,” Patrolman Stab said.
   Ordinance 03-2012, which is posted online at www.allentownnj.org, says anyone under 18 who loiters will be “escorted” home to their parents or guardian. Police may also issue a summons that carries a fine of up to $500 that must be paid by the juvenile’s parent or guardian. Parents of repeat-violators may also be required by a municipal judge to perform community service.
   Specifically, the ordinance says it is “unlawful for anyone under the age of 18 years to loiter, idle, wander, stroll or play in and upon or to remain in or upon the public streets, highways, roads, alleys, parks, playgrounds, public places and public buildings, places of amusement and entertainment, church parking lots, places of business carried on for profit to which the public is invited, vacant lots, or other public places.” The rule applies to any day of the week and at any time of day.
   During the council meeting, Mayor Stuart Fierstein said police would use their discretion to interpret whether a specific situation constitutes loitering.
   Patrolman Stab said Tuesday residents should not be concerned about how broadly officers will be interpreting and enforcing the ordinance and dismissed any suggestion that it could be used to harass teenagers.
   ”This is not intended to stop people from visiting Allentown or enjoying the parks and everything the borough has to offer,” Patrolman Stab said. “It is only intended to give the police a tool for dealing with disorderly juveniles.”
   Mr. Fierstein said at the council meeting the ordinance is designed to be educational, not punitive, and it “puts responsibility on the parent.”
   The goal is to deal with the problem in a manner that avoids the need to file criminal charges against a minor, which could follow him or her into adulthood, Mr. Fierstein said.
   A summons for loitering is not a criminal charge, Patrolman Stab said.
   ”We don’t want them to have a record that stays with them,” Mr. Fierstein said Tuesday. “We were all kids once and sometimes kids do things that they grow to regret.”
   No one from the public spoke during the public hearing prior to the adoption vote.

— J. Degnan contributed to this story.