A jobs program for Phoenix cops? I certainly don't think we need to pay these piggys to bust teanagers who stay out after 10pm Original Article Police step up enforcement of city curfew Lindsey Collom The Arizona Republic Jul. 30, 2005 12:00 AM AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS - Curfew breakers here will have more chances to get caught this school year. The Ahwatukee Foothills Crime Prevention Task Force recently obtained a grant for a full-scale curfew enforcement program. Daily curfew hours in Phoenix are 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for ages 15 and younger, and midnight to 5 a.m. for ages 16 and 17. The curfew enforcement program, which puts two off-duty patrol officers on the street in five-hour blocks, was scaled back in fiscal 2005 because of lack of funding. The task force later obtained enough money to have two officers patrolling eight nights. This year, there is enough money for 26 nights of enforcement. Officers don't announce their schedules but often are out patrolling when teens are apt to be out late, such as when there is a varsity football game or a prom. Police say curfew enforcement has proven benefits for Ahwatukee Foothills, including preventing idle teens from committing other crimes, such as underage drinking or criminal damage. Curfew violators face a misdemeanor charge. Parents are contacted and asked to pick them up. First-time offenders can take a four-hour communication class for a fee. "We have a lot of parents that assume their kids are behaving themselves," said Peggy Schaefer, a co-leader of the task force. "This curfew program awakens the parents to the fact that your kids are not at home doing whatever it is you think. Sometimes you need a wake-up call like that from a police officer saying, 'Are you aware your kid is breaking curfew?' "