It may seem like a crackdown but it actually provides more discretion in handling what is currently a one-way ticket to a criminal record. Fayetteville City Council Thursday adopted an ordinance prohibiting children under age from six being left unattended in vehicles.

The ordinance states that children in a vehicle and under age six must be within plain view of the responsible party who is at least 12 years of age.

The penalty for violations will range from a warning all the way to felony charges, depending on the nature and severity of the specific violation.

The ordinance gives police officers the ability to use their professionalism and discretion in handling individual violations, said Mayor Ken Steele.

Police Chief Steve Heaton told the council that, without the ordinance, the only possible option under state law would be a felony.