Would a cop take in a kid for tresspassing on school grounds?

[stev]

Lets say you found a kid (17-18) on the grounds at a private highschool at 1 or 3 in the morning. He tells you he was trying to suspend a dummy from the roof for a prank. Do you take him in for tresspassing or tell him to go home? He had not destroyed any school property.

[retdetsgt]

Yes. What he tells you and what he's up to can be two different things. It may come as a shocker, but people have been known to lie to the police. Especially when they're on private property at 1 in the morning.

[Laww]

Trespassing would depend on if the grounds of the school in question are clearly marked or not. Most likely if you were charged it would be with MDOP (Malicious Destruction of Property), which would get you locked up in Maryland. That being said though, trespassing all by itself as a charge will get you the same matching pair of bracelets. Being a juvenile, as you indicated, would get you with a violation of curfew laws in some areas as well.

[Legoate]

No, I'd take him to juvenile hall for a curfew violation.

[retdetsgt]

No, I'd take him to juvenile hall for a curfew violation.

Same here if he was 17, jail if he were 18. The OP offers both ages as possibilities.

[Joeyd6]

In NY he goes to jail at 17 or 18....he is considered an adult. That age is old enough to know better what a respectable prank is and what it is not.

[mcsap]

We have so much garbage going on at 0100 it is nice to catch someone and make them repsonsible for their CHOICE of actions.

[manahmanah]

Unfortunately unless it is a felony, violent misdo, or the juvenile is a ward of the court, our juvenile hall won't house them.

[JeffW]

It just depends. If the area is fenced off, he goes. If there are signs, he may go he may not, that just depends on the kid and if he is a student. I always tell my guys to look at the situation. If it is kids being kids, try to use a little judgment. If it criminal, then he goes, no questions.

[retdetsgt]

We have a huge problem with expensive vandalism to schools in Portland. The school police here would handle it if it were a public school, but we take care of private ones as proposed by the OP.

I used a lot of discretion dealing with kids too, but being on a school property at that time of night wouldn't be acceptable. There is no reason for them to be there except to create problems. Even at 9 or 10 at night, I wouldn't see it as that big a deal, perhaps kids just hanging out. But between one and three in the morning??? Naw, that pushes my sense of humor too far.

If juvenile hall wouldn't take the kid, I would find some delight in waking up his parents at that time of the morning and asking them why their kid was out prowling.

[scott715us]

If kids are entering a place of learning to cause damage or pecuniary loss, their arses are going to jail. Too many burglaries, vandalism, and other crimes happen at schools to overlook things nowadays. I want my boy to be able to go to a place that is decent for education and not screwed up because a couple of goof balls are bored and want to tear something up. Do it at your own house.

[kels]

so what did you get charged with?
Enquiring minds want to know.