Indianapolis to crack down on parents of trouble-making teens 2.25.11

WTHR

Marion County - The mayor of Indianapolis says from now on, if your teenager commits a crime in his city, parents will be punished too.
In his state of the city address, Mayor Greg Ballard said he's tired of parents relying on Metro Police and the mall to babysit their teens. Last month, downtown streets near the Circle Centre Mall because of two juvenile shootings the same night.
A 15-year-old was left in critical condition and a 17-year-old was shot in the foot in two separate shootings near Circle Center Mall just a block apart. Both involved juveniles, and the shootings caught the mayor's attention.
"I simply will not let a few wannabe thugs infect the heart of our city," said Ballard.
Now he's getting parents' attention.
"It's time for some straight talk to the very small group of parents who see fit to drop their kids off at places like the mall each weekend and sometimes wait until late at night to pick them up," said the mayor.
"This community needs you to be a full time parent. IMPD and the mall are not your babysitters," he added.
The mayor says from now on, if they get in trouble, so will their parents.
"Parents can be held liable and fined for the actions of their children," said Ballard.
"We are losing money because of the deployment of officers to this area. And what this complaint will seek to do is recover that cost from the parents who are negligent, who don't know where their kids are," said Helen Marchal, city prosecutor.
"That would be a deterrent to ever let your kids loose at a mall again," said Jill Tucker, parent.
"If you have the means I think you should be responsible as well as. If your child was incarcerated your insurance should cover them, not the city. Our tax money should not have to go for that type of care," said Ted Bilski, parent.
While some say issuing a financial penalty may get more parents to pay attention, others say it might actually have the opposite effect.
"I've been a teacher for over 40 years and I've seen an awful lot of students who have very conscientious parents and who make bad choices," said Sylvia Hyde, teacher and parent. "I think holding parents financially responsible almost reduces the accountability of the youth and I think that's a dangerous place to go."
Some people we talked to said they were concerned that some parents won't be able to afford the fines. They're hoping the mayor is open to community service as an alternative.
http://www.wthr.com/story/14137222/indianapolis-to-crack-down-on-parents-of-trouble-making-teens