Columbus police announce results of weekend enforcement in Uptown District
The Columbus Police Department announced Thursday the results of enforcement efforts in the Uptown District during the weekend of May 29-31.
CPD said officers encountered large groups of unsupervised minors and young adults in parking garages, public spaces and around businesses.
“While many young people were enjoying their summer responsibly, officers also responded to incidents involving disruptive behavior, trespassing, and other activity that negatively impacted businesses and visitors,” the news release says.
There were 41 self-initiated and traffic stops, with four citations and 26 warning citations issued, according to police.
CPD said there were contacts with 148 adults and 50 juvenile contacts with three adult arrests and two juvenile arrests.
Police also reported 11 business contacts, 13 completed police reports, more than 30 grams of marijuana recovered and one THC vaped recovered.
“Officers also responded to multiple incidents involving groups of minors congregating in and around the Synovus/Bay Avenue parking garage,” the news release says. “In several cases, officers identified minors, contacted parents or guardians, and ensured they were safely returned home.”
CPD said two juveniles were arrested after officers recovered a gun with a 30-round magazine and a replica firearm.
“Our goal is not to stop young people from enjoying their summer,” CPD Assistant Chief Lance Deaton said in the news release. “Our concern is when large, unsupervised groups gather and engage in behavior that disrupts businesses, creates safety concerns, or has the potential to escalate into something more serious.”
Proposed curfew in Columbus
During its May 26 meeting, the Columbus Council discussed a proposed city ordinance which would set a curfew for minors of 9 p.m. in the Uptown District.
Uptown Columbus Inc., the nonprofit organization that promotes downtown businesses, proposed the ordinance after more than 400 incidents were reported in the district over the past year, based on numbers provided by the Columbus Police Department.
Deaton said a little less than half of those cases involve juveniles. But he noted this number doesn’t include the number of contacts police make with juveniles.
The purpose of the ordinance, Deaton said, is not to arrest kids and put them in the system. He said he hopes CPD never has to arrest a kid or issue a citation.
Police are trying to take a proactive approach to the situation because they already had some instances and want to ensure they don’t get into a situation where they have several major instances, according to Deaton.