Indy Committee Approves Changes to Youth Curfew for Summer
INDIANAPOLIS — The Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee of the Indianapolis City-County Council has approved changes to the youth curfew for this summer.
During Wednesday night’s committee meeting, members voted 9-1 to pass the proposed curfew changes, which would make the curfew for teenagers start two hours earlier than the original curfew set last summer.
If approved, the amended curfew hours would be in place for 120 days. Kids aged 15 or 16 would be required to be home by 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 9 p.m. between Sunday and Thursday. Younger kids would have a 9 p.m. curfew and cannot be out before 5 a.m. on any day.
IMPD Chief Tanya Terry is backing the proposal, saying these proactive measures are needed to address the recent uptick in youth violence.
“In response to what we have seen so far this year and in past summers, we need to intervene early, in a non-intrusive way, and provide support to our young people,” Chief Terry told the committee on Wednesday.
According to Terry, the number of teenagers shot in the first three months of 2026 is up 22% compared to the same time in 2025. Over the past year, teenage homicide victims also increased from 7.3% to nearly 11%.
“Keeping young people out of situations where they are more likely to become victims or be involved in violence is a priority and a shared responsibility that I think we all have,” said Terry.
Councilor Leroy Robinson (D-District 1) believes that by changing the curfew hours, police officers and anyone who comes in contact with young people who are out in the city late at night will have the necessary tools to support them and prevent more of them from getting into dangerous situations.
“It will give them some enforcement policies and action that they can put in place to help our young people this summer and give some guardrails to support the parents,” said Robinson.
Councilor Josh Bain (R-District 21) said he supports the proposal and would also like to see fines for curfew violations.
“I wish we could say it was not in reaction to something, it’s us being proactive, but clearly it is in reaction to the youth violence that we’re seeing not only in our city, but again it’s a national trend that we’re not immune from,” Bain said.
The full City-County Council could take up the proposal during its next meeting on May 4.
