Mayor Michael Coleman announced plans on Wednesday to impose a curfew on teenagers this summer.
The initiative is part of the city's annual 2008 Summer Strike Force.
Parent Kelley Munnerlyn said he is strict with his teenager, but thinks some parents need the extra help, 10TV's Cara Connelly reported.
"I believe what the mayor is really trying to do is he's doing the job for parents that are not being good parents," Munnerlyn said.
The mayor's office will distribute cards around the city to publicize the new rule, Connelly reported.
Jaques McCoy, 16, does not think teenagers will take the curfew seriously.
"I don't necessarily think it will work," McCoy said. "I think that kids will do what they want to do regardless of a curfew."
According to the new law, anyone under 17 years old who is out after midnight will risk being taken into custody and sent to the curfew center, Connelly reported. The downtown YMCA, which already houses a truancy center, will take in the curfew violators.
After the third violation, parents may also face charges.
Rena Ramsaw, the mother of a teenager, said she supports the curfew.
"You are going to be held responsible for your kids, so I think it will hopefully distract some of the kids," Ramsaw said.
The mayor said he hopes to reduce fatal car crashes with the new curfew. He said more than 40 percent of teen deaths on the road happen between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
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