ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Concerns are growing among law enforcement officials over repeat criminal activities by teenagers in the area. The Gates Police Department has been charging parents or guardians in an effort to combat this issue — a strategy that has shown positive results, according to Gates Police Chief Rob Long.

Long highlighted a recent case where charging the parent of a repeatedly offending teenager led to a noticeable change in the teen’s behavior.

Chief Long expressed the department’s frustration with dealing with the same teens involved in crimes, particularly car thefts, on multiple occasions. He stated, “If we’ve dealt with a child and it’s their first time, we understand that, kids are going to be kids, teens are going to be teens. If it’s 30 times we are arresting somebody, we’re saying, ‘Hey, this is out of control.'”

The approach is based on New York State law, specifically the section on endangering the welfare of a child, which allows for holding parents accountable.

The method has had some success, with Long noting, “They had stopped; they didn’t show back up; we never arrested them again…maybe the parent said hey enough … you got me in trouble for your actions.”

Similarly, the Palmyra Police Department has experienced the same issues with teenagers repeatedly committing crimes. After exhausting other options, they have resorted to arresting the guardians of a 14-year-old and a 13-year-old involved in criminal mischief.

Palmyra Police Chief Kyle DiNardo shared his frustration: “We ran out of ideas; we’ve tried everything. I don’t know if this will work. I hope it will.”

Rochester Mayor Malik Evans has yet to support the idea of arresting parents in Rochester. He described the measure as a “tough step” and prefers exploring ways to work with parents in challenging situations involving their children first. Both Gates and Palmyra police departments emphasize that arresting parents is not their preferred course of action. They highlight the availability of resources and ask parents to reach out if they need assistance in managing their children’s behavior.

We are not trying to do it to punish them — we’re doing it more to, ‘If you need help, reach out,'” DiNardo said.

A.I. assisted with the formatting of this story. Click here to see how WHEC News 10 uses A.I.