Parents’ concerns prompted another brief discussion about Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station operations at Tuesday’s Santa Clarita City Council meeting, with complaints about teens being arrested minutes after the 10 p.m. curfew came into effect during an Oct. 10 operation.
City officials repeated the message from the Oct. 15 meeting, that the increased enforcement was being done out of concern about assaults and even an attempted sexual assault that have been attributed to teens’ after-hours gatherings at local parks and parking lots.
Capt. Brandon Barclay, in an email on Thursday, reiterated his call for “parents and guardians to speak with their children about the consequences of these actions,” regarding the large, late-night gatherings of teens.
Both parents who spoke about the curfew expressed understanding and support for law enforcement, but asked if there could have been more communication ahead of time and whether the operation had to be so heavy-handed.
At the previous meeting, City Manager Ken Striplin indicated the 10 p.m. city of Santa Clarita curfew has been on the books for years, but disruptions at businesses — particularly In-N-Out parking lots after Friday night football games — prompted law enforcement to take action.
Both Barclay and Striplin said the operation was about sending a message, but Alicia Balsman, one of the parents to speak at Tuesday’s meeting, said Thursday she didn’t think the message was targeted well enough.
In her comments to the council, she described a wide-ranging operation that left her daughter handcuffed in the back of a patrol vehicle outside In-N-Out by 10:25 p.m.
“I think all of us will agree that what we want is for law enforcement to stop the parties in the park with the underage drinking, deal with the true crime that is happening with the teens,” she said. “But my daughter’s story is one of dozens. … It was an orchestrated sweep.”
The other parent who spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, Jeff Greenberg, mentioned that he did see a warning from the William S. Hart Union High School District — which was sent via ParentSquare at 5:02 p.m. Oct. 10, while his son was at the football game.
A parent shared the message that was sent to parents on that Friday evening, which the district says it was asked to share with parents:
“To keep our community safe, deputies will be stepping up curfew enforcement and addressing other late-night violations across SCV. Minors are not allowed in public places between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless: with a parent/guardian 18 or older; traveling to/from work, school; or a supervised event; in an emergency or with written permission for a lawful purpose.”
His son was getting food at the In-N-Out parking lot on The Old Road after the football game, when his son encountered deputies. He said his son was arrested and “thrown in the paddy wagon.”
Station officials said in a video montage on Facebook that 31 were arrested during the Oct. 10 operation “in response to community concerns and recent safety incidents.”
During Tuesday’s meeting, Councilwoman Marsha McLean said she really sympathized with the parents, saying it’s unfortunate when the “good kids get swept up with those causing trouble,“ and that she didn’t know the circumstances of the situation behind the arrest versus a warning.
“Is there room to have these charges dismissed if it is found they were simply … innocent bystanders swept up in the curfew sweep?” McLean asked.
Assistant City Manager Frank Oviedo said that, speaking generally about the curfew operation, 25 of the suspects would be dealt with through the city’s “community court,” which meant if a teen satisfies the city’s punishment, it would be wiped away.
Balsman said she had a great conversation with Barclay, who was very understanding of the situation, confirming what Oviedo mentioned about the department working with the city’s “community court” to resolve the issues non-criminally.
McLean said she hoped the teens would have a chance to make their case; and Oviedo responded that the teens would have an opportunity to appear in front of a judge with their parents.
Balsman said Tuesday in front of the council that the punishment for a curfew violation — a juvenile diversion class, a $150 fine and 30 hours of community service — seemed a steep price for her daughter to pay for a 10 p.m. hamburger.
