City Council voted 5 to 3 to extend the youth curfew through December 2009. Still, support for the program appears to be waning.

Councilmember Carolee Conklin has consistently voted against the curfew, and last night she was joined by Elaine Spaull and Lovely Warren. (Councilmember Carla Palumbo was not at the meeting.)

The curfew has been a controversial program since it began in 2006. It has been described as an effort in search of a purpose.

A report on its second year showed that more than 60 percent of the youth were stopped between midnight and 1 a.m., and the majority of children were between ages 13 and 16.

Many of them were runaways. And many disclosed that they were under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Little of this is a change from the curfew's first year.

Critics contend that the program does little to protect young people from street violence.

The Mayor's Youth Advisory Council has characterized the curfew as punitive and ineffective.

And there are the growing concerns about parents who frequently refuse counseling and intervention services when their children are stopped by police officers and taken to Hillside Children's Center.

This is especially troublesome since 20 percent of the children were repeat offenders.

Supporters of the program, including Mayor Bob Duffy, see the curfew as a tool for police and parents.

That may not be enough to keep the program running.