LAKE OZARK, Mo. — A cheery, family-friendly place during the daylight hours, the Lake Ozark Strip is known to turn rather... adult and rowdy after dark.

But mingling among the over-21 crowd in the streets and around the bars are a large number of teens, according to Lake Ozark Police, and it's becoming a problem.

Bar security personnel have gotten good at spotting fake IDs, Lake Ozark Police Chief James Boren says, and his officers are presented with large stacks of fakes, every summer weekend. Many of those come from the hands of high schoolers.

At their regular meeting this evening (Tuesday, June 14), the Lake Ozark Board of Aldermen will consider a new city ordinance to try and curb the number of teens on the Strip late at night. The ordinance would establish the curfew from 10:30 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. and it would apply to all public places.

Boren noted the draft ordinance submitted to the Aldermen had a typo: it mistakenly stated the curfew would begin at 7:00 p.m. rather than at 10:30 p.m. He clarified the department is not recommending a 7:00 p.m. curfew and expected the ordinance language would be amended to say 10:30 p.m., before it was voted on.

The ordinance would not only make it unlawful for those under 18 to remain in public areas on the Strip after 10:30 p.m., it would also make it unlawful for parents or guardians to allow their minors to do so. In other words, parents or guardians could receive a citation from the city if they allowed the minor in their charge to violate the curfew. It would also be unlawful for business owners on the Strip to allow minors to remain in their business after curfew.

The ordinance also allows for a range of exceptions including minors who live within the business district that encompasses the Strip, those attending an adult-supervised activity, and first amendment protections. First offenses would result in a warning, with subsequent offenses subject to a fine of $500, per the proposed ordinance.

While Boren says a curfew for youth (they can't mandate a curfew for 18 and over) won't solve all the problems his officers deal with late at night on the Strip, it would be a big help.

He says if the ordinance passes, signage would be posted informing the public of the curfew for those under 18. And his officers would be instructed to enforce it.

The Board is set to vote on a first reading of the ordinance on Tuesday evening. The meeting will take place at City Hall and begin at 5:30 p.m.


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