New Jersey is ground zero for an innovative ordinance that could see parents arrested if their children break the law.
Gloucester Township police chief David Harkins said “out-of-control” teens could send their parents to jail under the new ordinance.
“More and more, our officers are running into disrespectful, out-of-control behavior by juveniles…” said Harkins, chief of the Gloucester Township Police Department.
“This ordinance is just another way of us trying to change the course and make parents responsible or at least know where their children are and what they’re up to,” Harkins added.
According to the Minors and Parents Responsibility Ordinance, if a child is repeatedly found guilty of petty crimes, truancy, violating curfew, felonies or other offenses, their parents could spend up to 90 days in jail and pay a $2,000 fine.
“Something’s got to change,” Harkins told Fox & Friends. “We’ve got to get our kids back on track. They’ve got to stop acting crazy… and get respect back for law enforcement.”
Harkins said the problem begins at home with parents who don’t raise their children to respect the law.
“We recognize how important being a parent is… I want to get back to where the parents know what their kids are doing, they know where they’re going and who they’re hanging around with,” he said. “And if my child were to get in trouble, I would want to know about that and know that I’m going to be responsible so that we can take corrective action.”
