A curfew for teenagers under the age of 18 began in the City of Newark as a part of an initiative to keep the city's youth from committing crimes.

The curfew lasts from 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., unless the teen is with an adult or within 100 yards of their home.

If it's violated, a city van with the city's Office of Violence Prevention & Trauma Recovery, along with Newark police and social workers, may show up to take them home. They say if no one is home, they'll be taken to the OVPTR office.

"We don't just want young people just hanging out because they also can become targets," said Barry Ford, Assistant Deputy Mayor for Public Safety. "If they're out at that time, there's a reason they're out at that time. Is there something they can be doing, is there an issue at home that needs to be addressed?"

"The Office of Violence Prevention, the Brick City Peace Collective and all of our community partners are working adamantly to make sure that we are getting young people out of the street," said Ford.

The curfew is in effect until the first week of September.

According to Mayor Ras Baraka, there are no arrests, fines or penalties involved - unlike other cities.

City officials say their focus is on holding parents and teenagers accountable and get them help if they need it.

The citywide curfew has been around for some time, but last year was the first time it was enforced - with the help of more patrols and other community organizations. City officials say they saw a 7% decrease in juvenile arrests for the duration of it.

Public safety officers will patrol all five wards of Newark as a part of the initiative, targeting high-crime areas and monitoring hotspots.