By: Ray King
Pine Bluff Police Chief Kelvin Sergeant said Monday that that an increase in activity over the weekend, particularly Friday night prompted Mayor Shirley Washington to order the curfew which went into effect Sunday.
Sergeant joined Mayor Shirley Washington on the morning show with Greg Horne and Will Jenkins, Sergeant said that before he could call the Mayor Saturday morning she called him and they made the decision to implement the curfew which runs from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily.
Under a city ordinance, persons out after curfew can face a fine of up to $1,000 for a first offense and that fine will double for each subsequent offense.
He said that officers initially issued warnings to violators “but at some point we’ve got to stop warning and take it to the next level.”
Sargent said officers on Friday also found businesses that were ordered closed by the Governor to still be open and officers also had to remind them to shut down.
A daytime juvenile curfew was also a part of Washington’s order and when asked, Sergeant said that it would not be a violation if the juvenile is with an adult “but they can’t be by themselves walking the streets or riding around.”
The Pine Bluff City Council will hold a special meeting tonight at 5:15 p.m. at the Pine Bluff Convention Center to adopt legislation to extend the curfew. That meeting will be closed to the public but will be live streamed.
