Curfew in Neighboring City: Why You Should Care

When a curfew is put in place, the dynamics within the restricted city change. Anytime human activity is interrupted or altered, either naturally or artificially, people’s actions will shift and change to adapt to the new environment. When we look at a newly implemented policy change such as a curfew, there are a few possible ways that we can theorize the situation will play out.

I will preface this by saying that I know we can’t assume that everyone out on the streets past curfew time is necessarily a criminal who will violate another person or their property. But let’s assume for discussion purposes, that a percentage of those people may have those tendencies. Let’s walk through the possible chain of human action based on 2 different routes. These are based on the premise that there are only two options to choose from when a curfew is implemented. Potential criminals either abide by it… or they don’t.

Scenario #1
People choose to abide by the curfew. They stay at home in an effort to help control the spread of the virus. They decide to pause any behavior that violates any other person or their property. If this is their choice, things will likely be quiet, and we should not see any increase in crime reports or resulting in conflicts with authorities.

Scenario #2
People choose not to abide by the curfew. They remain on the streets of their city, mainly within their existing ‘home turf.’ If this happens, there is likely to be an increase in police presence and enforcement in those areas. This has the potential to spark an increase in conflict with authorities. If this happens, we would be able to see evidence of that via police logs, crime reports, and news stories from within that city.

Scenario #3
People choose not to abide by the curfew. Instead, they travel to bordering towns. They abandon their home turf and look for other opportunities to gather or commit their crimes that do not have curfews in place. This could result in an uptick in crime in the bordering towns, and very likely in the neighborhoods immediately bordering the towns since this would provide them with an easy escape route to get back inside their city limits quickly. If this scenario played out, loitering could also increase. If they are intent on committing crimes within a neighboring city, what types of crimes will they commit and where will they commit them? (Would they be in the form of car break ins or something more serious such as home invasions?) Police patrols would be increased in any areas that see an increase in crime. Patrols either set the stage for a conflict between authorities and criminals, or they drive the crime out of that area. From there, the individuals responsible for the crime will either retreat to their restricted city, find another area within the neighboring city, or they will find another neighboring city to move to. The cycle would then continue.

On a personal note: As a resident in a city which borders a restricted city, I hope for scenario #1, but prepare for scenario #3.

Here are some questions that might help to inform us about which scenario is playing out:

1. Has there been an increase in crime in the restricted city since the curfew was implemented?
2. If so, what types of crime?
3. Has the neighboring city seen any increase in criminal activity or reported crime?
4. If so, what types of crime?
5. Is the curfew keeping people off the streets during the affected hours?
6. Has there been an increase in police calls in the neighboring city during the restricted city’s curfew hours?
7. Has there been an increase in crime related activity in the neighborhoods that most closely border the restricted city?
8. If so, have patrols been increased in those areas?
9. If the crime has subdued in those areas, have reports risen in other parts of the neighboring city?
10. Has there been an increase in loitering reports in the neighboring city?

Are the authorities in each of the neighboring cities coordinating any efforts to control or prevent an increase in crime due to local policy?

Here are some common sense measures that you should have in place at all times… but they become especially important in times when crime could increase.

• Be vigilant.
• Keep doors locked.
• Keep ground level windows locked and shades closed.
• Keep vehicles locked.
• Keep landscape growth trimmed back away from your house.
• Be sure that all outdoor lighting is working. (Motion sensors are an added bonus)
• Have a plan to keep your family safe inside your home… a crisis word which would set a chain of events into motion such as where to gather and what to do, etc.
• Have a plan to defend your family and your home if left with no alternatives.

Remember. Your protection and safety is your responsibility. Police do respond to calls… but when trouble is at your door, YOU are the first line of defense for you and your family.