Tyler young people have to be in by 11 p.m. on most nights.

It’s been that way for over 20 years, but on Wednesday the Tyler City Council voted to reauthorize the ordinance establishing the curfew.

The ordinance was originally enacted in 1994, according to the city. The curfew, which applies to people 17 and younger, is in effect from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays and Sunday, and from midnight to 6 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Every three years, the city is required to revaluate it and hold a public hearing on its effectiveness. No one from the public came to speak on Wednesday, but Police Chief Jimmy Toler said the ordinance is a useful tool for law enforcement.

In the 1990s, it was used to combat gangs. It was used again after a woman was shot and killed at P.T. Cole Park in 2013, and now it’s been helpful to the department as it looks to take on gaming rooms in the city, Toler said.

Last year, the Tyler Police department issued eight citations, and four of those were warnings, according to the city.

“It gives us a good opportunity to talk to juveniles, and if possible, send them home,” he told Council.

Ross Worley, director of Smith County Juvenile Services, said the ordinance is helpful for his agency as well, and Tyler PD has been a strong partner to help them ensure the 150 to 250 juveniles on probation are abiding by their curfews.

All the minors on probation have curfews. They vary by age, but cap at 10 p.m., unless the minor is with family or is at work. The department has curfew checkers who check in with them by phone.

“It’s a win-win or us,’ Worley said. “We have curfew checkers and Tyler PD has always done an excellent job of policing young people who are out late.”

Worley said curfew violations aren’t taken lightly.

“We are pretty serious about curfew violations,” Worley said. “It can cost the child a night in the juvenile detention center if they are caught out past curfew. If it’s any of our kids, after 11 p.m., they are not in good shape. We do have some 17-year-olds on probation that can stay out if they are working. If they have a job, we make allowances for that.”

The ordinance is also useful to Tyler P.D.

The department can use it to protect minors from the potential dangers associated with late night activities, and the ordinance is a tool to help officers on the midnight shift to control gangs and address suspicious activities.

It is a medium to contact young people, and can be useful in controlling youth seen loitering late at night without adult supervision, according to the city. Some juveniles tend to congregate in parking lots and businesses, which can result in littering, damage to property, loud noise, fights and other disturbances, according to the department.

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