Insidestory2

A“One bad apple can spoil a whole batch.”

That’s an old saying that some say holds true for groups of young adults, and until local teens start “policing their own” and “weeding out the bad ones” they may find they have no place to congregate during the late afternoon and evening hours within Carlisle city limits without being ticketed by police.

City officials briefly mentioned imposing a curfew during the Aug. 11 Carlisle City Council meeting and various actions they could take to curtail the recent acts of vandalism and destruction allegedly being caused by those who frequent popular late night, teen hang outs around Carlisle.

“We’ve been having some parking problems and we have been writing some tickets,” Mayor Ronnie Clark said at the beginning of the discussion.

“I don’t have a problem with the parking, because we don’t have a lot to offer our teenagers, but when they start vandalizing property and tearing things up it makes it rough on everyone,” said Councilman Tommy Crawford. “A little common sense would go a long way.”

Clark and other council members spoke about broken bottles and damaged property at the Nicholas County School campus believed to be caused by teens and young adults parking nearby.

“Well, a lot of parents just open the door and let the kids go,” Clark said of teens who roam the streets during late hours with no adult guidance.

“It’s a sad testimony when you have teens or even those as young as 10,11 and 12-year-olds, out walking the streets at 3 a.m. in the morning,” Crawford added. Crawford is an avid walker and stated that he occasionally takes walks around Carlisle during those hours.

“You’d be amazed what you see,” he said as he shook his head.

Discussion, led by Clark, also focused on the alleged activity of group of young adults who have been hiding near the ballpark on Carlisle’s East End and hurling tomatoes at passing vehicles during the late night hours.

“That’s a hazardous situation,” Crawford said.

“I believe it’s being caused by older kids that wouldn’t be affected by a curfew,” Clark added and expressed concerns about the dilemma when telling council members that it was his understanding that juveniles who were detained at night had to be in the custody of a city police officer until a parent or legal guardian arrived at the Carlisle Police Department to take custody of them.

Clark said when that happened it basically removed the officer from being able to patrol the city, and effectively reduced the force by one officer.

Councilman Billy Mac Gaunce has expressed concerns in recent meetings about neglect and abuse of the East End ballpark. He added to those concerns during the Aug. 11 meeting, citing the recent shooting out of a night-light.

Council members took no specific action regarding the problem during the meeting but said they would monitor future acts of vandalism and destruction and react accordingly.