CLEVELAND (WJW) – Cleveland City Councilman Michael Polensek doesn’t mince words when talking about crime.

One area has his full attention at the moment. 

“Look at the number of stolen cars, look at the number of felonies assaults, look at the number of shootings involving teenagers.”

Polensek says this problem has several layers to it.

The priority for him, fixing Cleveland’s curfew law. Currently, the city’s minor curfew times are as follows:

-Age 12 and under: dark
-Ages 13-14: 930 p.m. to 6 a.m.
-Ages 15-16: 11 p.m. to 6 am.

Right now, he says the fine and charge for breaking the law is weak. 

He just proposed legislation that would increase both. 

“We want to up them substantially so that the first offense has some teeth to it and the second offense has some real teeth.”

Councilman Polensek says the key to this penalty is not the fine itself. 

Instead, it’s the fact that if a kid is caught breaking curfew, their parents are required to show up with them to court. 

He calls it accountability on all fronts.

“It makes the parents surface. They can no longer hide. They can no longer take no responsibility for their children.”

But even if Polensek’s legislation passes, he’s worried about the actual enforcement of the law.

As of July, he says there Have only been 32 curfew citation handed out this year. 

 Polensek added in the past that the number was in the hundreds. 

“32…outrageous. Outrageous. Enforce the law.”

Polensek believes the key to making a change in our neighborhood is working together.  

But until this kind of crime stops, He’ll keep pushing. 

“The day of just ignoring the worst of the worst in our neighborhoods, that’s gotta come to an end.”

The city’s administration responded to this story with the following statement:

“We support efforts aimed at curbing the violence affecting our city.  We will review the proposals to see if they will have those intended effects.”