Do You Remember When Pasco Had a Curfew?

When I was growing up in Pasco, I was always afraid I'd get caught while out past midnight. You see, there used to be a sign just off Highway 395 right after you took the Lewis Street exit from the Blue Bridge. That sign read "CURFEW - 17 YEARS AND YOUNGER."

Google Street View, 2019

I hadn't thought of this for a while until I was playing video games last night. Our party included a high school kid in our squad, and he mentioned a city curfew where he lived. My mind started to race as if it was transporting me back in time. Then I asked myself, "Wait. Does Pasco still have a curfew?"

Photo by Gabriel Sanchez on Unsplash

Once I turned 18, I never thought about that sign again. I don't remember the last time I saw it, I just know I don't see it anymore. So whatever happened to the curfew in Pasco?

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The curfew was established in 1994, long before I moved here. If a young person was found to have violated this ordinance, they could be fined for a civil infraction. The first offense was a fine no greater than $150, with a third offense mandating a costly $500. It was in 2016 when the city council, having determined it wasn't enforceable, voted to do away with it together. At the time, then-Chief Bob Metzger told the city council his department hadn't enforced the curfew under his watch. You could say the vote was more of a symbolic one but it marked a big day in Pasco's history.

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