Columbus police release stats for 2nd weekend of enforcement efforts in Uptown District
The Columbus Police Department has announced the results of a second weekend of enforcement efforts in Uptown Columbus to address concerns about unsupervised minors and quality-of-life issues.
A proposed ordinance before Columbus Council would set a curfew of 9 p.m. for juveniles in the Uptown District. The council is scheduled to vote on the proposal June 16.
Between June 5-6 CPD officers in Uptown responded to 13 dispatched calls for service, conducted 86 self-initiated traffic stops, issued 13 citations and issued 44 warning citations.
Police said they also made 28 business contacts, made contact with 138 adults, made contact with 75 minors and completed 13 police reports.
Eight adults were arrested, according to the news release. The news release mentions no arrests of minors.
CPD said officers recovered approximately 3.5 grams of marijuana and three vape devices.
Officers responded to multiple incidents involving minors throughout the weekend, according to the news release.
“In multiple cases, officers encountered young teens who were unsupervised and unable to contact a parent or guardian,” the news release says. “Officers worked to identify the minors and ensure they were safely returned home.”
Previous weekend enforcement stats
Over the weekend of May 29-31, officers in Uptown conducted 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.
CPD reported incidents of minors congregating in and around the Synovus/Bay Avenue parking garage.
Two juveniles were arrested after officers recovered a gun with a 30-round magazine and a replica firearm, CPD said.
Proposed curfew ordinance
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.
CPD Assistant Chief Lance 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.