dont the cops have any real criminals to catch??? Original Article Juveniles ticketed in curfew violations Lindsey Collom The Arizona Republic Aug. 24, 2005 12:00 AM Police are ticketing juveniles out past curfew at Chandler Fashion Center after complaints from mall officials of late-night loitering and criminal activity. In the past three Fridays, more than 130 teenagers have been cited. Police will be patrolling again this weekend. While other Valley cities regularly cite curfew violators, the Chandler enforcement is one of the most concerted efforts in recent history. Mall security recently asked the Chandler Police Department for help in dealing with the crush of teens who linger outside the Harkins Chandler Fashion Center 20 theaters on weekends after the mall closes, police said. "I think it's stupid," said Alyssa Schreiner, 15, adding that a friend text messaged her after he was cited for being out after curfew. "No one's doing anything wrong," she said. "They're just hanging out, they're not drinking." But police disagree. Some teens, they say, have been involved in criminal damage to mall property, vandalism and disorderly conduct. Others have been caught with alcohol or tobacco. In Maricopa County, children 15 and under can't be out between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. The curfew for 16- and 17-year-olds is midnight. The exceptions are when a juvenile is accompanied by an adult, coming home from work, or running an errand with parental consent. Corporate officials with Westcor, which owns Chandler Fashion Center, would not comment about the teen citations. Signs have been posted throughout the Chandler mall in recent weeks, and police begin warning teens at least half an hour before the 10 p.m. curfew. Ticketed teens are given a court date and held in a vacant restaurant until parents show up. A parent must attend court with the child, who will likely be fined up to $150 or ordered to perform community service. Dolores Hindman of Chandler says the special enforcement at Chandler Fashion Center should be a wake-up call to parents. "From what we can see, parents are not parenting," Hindman said, adding that she and her husband no longer visit the mall on weekends because of the loiterers. "I wonder if these parents are aware of the other things that are going on besides curfew. (Police) are trying to protect the kids and protect the people." Some don't see it that way. "I don't think we should have a curfew," said Tempe High School students Lanette Pacheco, 16, and Marissa Aguilar, 15, nearly in unison when asked about the curfew crackdown. "If we were like 12 or 13, then yeah," Pacheco said. "But we're practically old enough. [The crackdown] has hurt a lot of our social life." In at least one other suburban community, police are also stepping up curfew enforcement. The Ahwatukee Foothills Crime Prevention Task Force recently obtained a grant to put two off-duty patrolmen on the street to ferret out curfew violators for 26 nights, compared with eight nights last year. The undercover squad is expected to patrol when teens are apt to be out late, such as when there is a varsity football game or prom night. In Ahwatukee and other parts of Phoenix, teens can be ordered to pay a fine and be assigned to a probation officer for up to a year. But, overall, curfew and loitering violations in Phoenix have plunged since 2000. Last year, there were 362 "curfew, loitering" violations in the city, down nearly 67 percent from the 1,085 violations four years before. In Gilbert, offenders pay $30 for a course on city regulations and must complete 10 hours of community service. Ninety-three teens have gone through the class this year. Lacey Cox, a counseling administrator in Gilbert's Youth & Adult Resources, said many parents are transplants to the Valley and unaware of curfew law. "For a lot of parents, they say 'Oh, well, we didn't know,' " Cox said. "Some parents will take the responsibility. They've either moved here or where they grew up they didn't have curfew. They don't realize you can't give your kids permission." Staff reporters Corinne Purtill, Stephanie Paterik, Judi Villa and Josh Kelley contributed to this article.