Margate police say they will start ticketing parents for teen behavior

MARGATE, N.J. — The warning has gone out in Margate about rowdy teens. But this warning is to the parents: You’re the ones who will now be ticketed.

Police in Margate say they will begin enforcing an existing ordinance that allows them to issue summonses to the parents of juveniles observed unsupervised after the 10 p.m. curfew or otherwise breaking local laws.

The tickets will require appearing in Municipal Court and could result in fines up to $1,000 and up to 90 days of community service — which may have to be performed alongside the child.

“After recent well-publicized events regarding the safety of juveniles in our shore communities, the Margate City police department is taking a more proactive approach,” the police department said in a Facebook post.

The problem of large groups of unsupervised teens has disrupted Shore towns during holiday weekends and other towns in Pennsylvania and New Jersey during local festivals.

Shore towns have imposed backpack bans and curfews. Over Memorial Day weekend, which saw a stabbing on the Ocean City boardwalk and general unruliness in Seaside Heights and elsewhere, Wildwood took the step of declaring an overnight state of emergencyemergency to clear its boardwalk.

Some towns have canceled carnivals and festivals, and police chiefs in Shore towns have spoken out about the need for tougher laws, including those that hold parents accountable.

» READ MORE: Unruly teenagers are disrupting festivals and carnivals, leading to cancellations

But Margate’s ordinance, 117-4, is already on the books.

In past years, large crowds of teenagers on Margate’s beaches and outside its infamous “Club Wa” Wawa caught the public spotlight. This summer, Margate has been somewhat under the radar. Margate police said their goal is to “prevent some of the issues shore towns have experienced this summer season.”

“In the past, MCPD has been able to keep an eye on the crowds with increased manpower and additional patrols, but like in towns up and down the coast, we are pushed to our limit and with the recent highly publicized incidents, we are asking parents to be responsible for the actions of their underage and unsupervised children,” the police wrote.

The enforcement of the ordinance 117-4 (Parental Responsibility) will take place between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., “any time when officers observe a juvenile unsupervised and engaging in any behavior that is unlawful, puts their safety at risk, or if they ignore lawful commands from officers attempting to keep them safe.”

The juveniles will be taken to the police station, and a “responsible adult” will be called to take custody of the child, and a summons will be issued to the parent, the police said.

The child could also be charged with any underlying offense that prompted the police action.

A first violation carries a fine of between $100 and $1,000 and/or up to 90 days of community service, to be determined by the Municipal Court judge. The second and subsequent violation carry fines of not more than $1,000 and/or 90 days of community service.

“If both a juvenile and a juvenile’s parents or guardian violate this chapter, they may be required to perform community service together,” the ordinance states.

“We, and other police departments and public officials in the state, have asked parents to better supervise their children over the past few years,” Margate police wrote. “To date, those calls have been met with limited, or no, success leading us to take this action to ensure the safety of those in the community.”

Neither police chief Matthew Hankinson, Mayor Michael Collins or Commissioner, of Public Safety Catherine Horn returned calls for comment and additional information.