IMPD’s Youth Connection Center Opens for Holiday Weekend

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Connection Center will be open over the holiday weekend.

The center is meant to reunite parents with juveniles who’ve been caught doing things they shouldn’t—like violating curfew.

Over the weekend, five juveniles ended up there.

“That’s five different stories that could’ve taken a totally different turn,” said Officer Drew Brown with IMPD.

According to Brown, IMPD opens the center on a case-by-case basis when police anticipate an influx of kids breaking curfew. It serves as a safe place to wait for a guardian and seek resources.

“This is a village coming together to help prepare these kids and give them what they need in order to be successful in this world,” said Ashley Asante-Doyle with Firefly Children and Family Alliance.

“We want to be there to provide meaningful intervention, meaningful steps forward as to why a young person was out past curfew,” Brown said. “Why are they potentially subjecting themselves to dangerous or reckless behavior?”

Brown emphasized the importance of accountability for both parents and youth. While making arrests or writing citations isn’t the department’s first choice in many situations, it’s always on the table.

Indianapolis has already seen a number of violent incidents involving juveniles this year, including several homicides, prompting the City-County Council to extend the curfew.

Kids ages 15 to 16 years must be home by 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and 9 p.m. every other day of the week. All kids under 15 must be home by 9 p.m. every day.

The curfew allows 17-year-olds to be out until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

“We need parents to understand that if we are calling you to come pick up your loved one, that we have intervened when an arrest could’ve been the alternative. We want you to take this seriously,” Brown said.

There are certain exemptions to the curfew, including provisions for work or religious events.