COVINGTON, Ga. — A metro Atlanta city is discussing the possibility of holding parents liable for the crimes their children commit.
Channel 2’s Cory James was at a Covington City Council meeting on Monday evening as councilors and the community shared their feelings.
The meeting got so out of hand at several points that Covington Mayor Fleeta Baggett had to pound the gavel on multiple occasions.
“Hold on, I don’t interrupt you, don’t interrupt me,” she told a councilmember.
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It happened after councilmembers Dwayne Turner and Anthony Henderson went back and forth about the proposed ordinance that would cite a parent for failing to prevent a child from willfully or maliciously destroying property belonging to another person.
Parents could face a fine of up to $2,000 or 90 days in jail for repeated offenses.
When Turner used crime data for Newton County as a reason for putting this ordinance in place, Councilmember Charika Davis chimed in.
“I don’t want to hear about Newton County. Newton County is not trying to put this ordinance in place,” Davis said.
Police Chief Brent Fuesting said when it comes to this regulation, an investigation would have to be done first and it would then have to prove a parent knew their child was out committing crimes.
“We have to prove without a reasonable doubt that probable cause, that this person roughly knew that their son or daughter was out committing a crime,” he said.
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Mayor Baggett says no one is trying to target parents. She told James that the goal is to protect the community from children who repeatedly commit crimes.
“They’re getting in trouble at school, they’re getting in trouble in the neighborhood, and then they steal my car. Then you should be held responsible because you didn’t do anything about it,” she said.
But some residents feel city leaders should be doing more than charging parents.
“Why is that this city can’t find something for our kids to do to help them?” neighbor Thelma Nolley said. “What we need to be spending more time...for these kids [to have] something to do.”
The ordinance passed 4-2 on the first reading, but the mayor says they will vote on it again.
The next meeting is expected to take place June 1.
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