Inglewood Municipal Code § 5-9 Loitering of Minors Prohibited

It is unlawful for any minor under the age of eighteen to loiter, about or upon the public streets, avenues, alleys, parks, playgrounds or other public grounds, public places, public buildings, places of amusement and eating places, vacant lots of any unsupervised place between the hours of ten o'clock p.m. and the time of sunrise of the following day on the days of Sunday through Thursday, and between the hours of eleven o'clock p.m. and the time of sunrise of the following day on the days of Friday and Saturday; provided, however, that the provisions of this Section do not apply when the minor is accompanied by his or her parents, guardian, adult spouse, or other adult person having the care and custody of the minor, or when the minor is upon an errand directed by his or her parent or guardian or other adult person having the care and custody of the minor or when the minor is returning directly home from a meeting, entertainment, education or recreational activity.

For the purposes of this Section the work "loiter" is defined to mean to idle, linger, wander, stroll, play or to walk, drive or ride aimlessly.

Each violation of the provisions of this Section shall constitute a separate offense.

(Ord. 2464 1-24-84; Ord. 94-04 3-1-94)

It is unlawful for any minor under the age of eighteen, who is subject to compulsory education or to compulsory continuation education, alone or in concert with others, to loiter, idle, wander, stroll or play on or upon the public streets, highways, roads, alleys, parks, playgrounds, or other public grounds, public places, public buildings, places of amusement and eating places, vacant lots, unsupervised places or any place open to the public during the hours of eight-thirty a.m. and one-thirty p.m. of the same day or days when said minor's school is in session.

(Ord. 96-08 6-11-96)

The provisions of Section 5-9.1 shall not apply when:

(a) The minor is accompanied by his or her parent, guardian or other adult person having the care and custody of the minor;

(b) The minor is on an emergency errand directed by his or her parent or guardian or other adult person having the care and custody of the minor;

(c) The minor is going or coming directly from or to their place of gainful employment;

(d) The minor is going to or coming from a medical appointment;

(e) The minor has permission to leave campus for lunch and has in his or her possession a valid, school-issued, off-campus permit;

(f) The minor is going to or returning directly to school or home from a public meeting or school activity;

(g) The presence of the minor in a place or places prohibited in Section 5-9.1 is connected with or required with respect to a business, trade, profession or occupation in which the minor is lawfully engaged.

(Ord. 96-08 6-11-96)

(a) Each violation of the provisions of Section 5-9.1 shall constitute a separate offense.

(b) Any person convicted of willfully violating Section 5-9.1 is guilty of an infraction punishable by a fine and/or the performance of community service for a total amount of time to be imposed by the court, during times other than his or her hours of school attendance or employment. The court may continue the imposition of the sentence described herein, and if, after sixty days the defendant has had no unexcused absences from school during that period, and the minor produces proof of that fact to the court, the court shall cause the imposition of the fine to be set aside.

(c) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Code, when a person under the age of eighteen years is charged with a violation of section 5-9.1, and a peace officer issues a Notice to Appear in Superior Court to that minor pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code Section 256, the charge shall be deemed an infraction unless the minor requests that a petition be filed under Section 601 or Section 602 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code.

(d) Any person violating any of the provisions of Sections 5-9.1 through 5-9.5 shall be guilty of an infraction, and upon conviction thereof, shall be subject to a fine as provided for in Section 36900 of the California Government Code.

(Ord. 96-08 6-11-96)

When a minor is detained by the Police Department under the provisions of this Chapter for a period longer than one hour and is convicted of a violation of this Chapter, the parent(s), guardian(s), or other adult person(s) having custody of the minor are jointly and severally liable with the minor for the costs of providing supervision and detention of the minor by the Police Department, over and above the services normally provided by the Police Department. The cost of enforcement pursuant to these provisions of the Inglewood Municipal Code shall be $57 per minor, per incident.

(Ord. 96-08 6-11-96)

It is unlawful for any person who is a member of a "criminal street gang" as that term is defined in California Penal Code § 186.22(f) or who is in the company of or acting in concert with a member of a "criminal street gang" to loiter or idle in a "public place" public place defined to include the public way and any other location open to the public, whether publicly or privately owned, including, but not limited to any street, sidewalk, avenue, highway, road, curb area, alley, park, playground or other public ground or public building, any common area of a school, hospital, apartment house, office building, transport facility, shop, privately owned place of business, to which the public is invited, including any place of amusement, entertainment, or eating place. Any "public place" also includes the front yard area, driveway and walkway of any private residence, business, or apartment house, under any of the following circumstances:

1. With the intent to publicize a criminal street gang's dominance over certain territory in order to intimidate non-members of the gang from entering, remaining in, or using the public place or adjacent area;

2. With the intent to conceal ongoing commerce in illegal drugs or other unlawful activity.

(Ord. 96-08 6-11-96; Ord. 99-25 9-7-99)

Nothing in this Chapter shall be construed in any way to limit the power or right of a law enforcement officer to make any investigation, detention or arrest as such law enforcement officer would be permitted to make in absence of this Chapter.

(Ord. 99-25 9-7-99)

Any parent(s), legal guardian(s), or other adult person(s) authorized by said parent(s) or guardian(s) to have the care and custody of a minor, who knowingly permits or by insufficient control allows a minor to violate the provisions of this Chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(Ord. 99-25 9-7-99)

Violation of this Chapter shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $500 or by imprisonment not to exceed six months, or both.

(Ord. 99-25 9-7-99)

If any provision or clause of this Chapter or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect any other provision or application, and to this end of provisions of this Chapter are declared to be severable.

(Ord. 99-25 9-7-99)

§ 5-9.10. through § 5-9.11. (Reserved)

It is hereby declared to be the intention of the City Council that the paragraphs, sentences, clauses and phrases of the ordinance codified in this Section and Section 5-9 are severable, and if any phrase, clause, sentence, or paragraph of such ordinance shall be declared invalid by the valid judgment or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity shall not affect any of the remaining phrases, clauses, sentences and paragraphs of such ordinance.

(Ord. 2464 1-24-84; Ord. 96-08 6-11-96)