Suburban Phoenix police remind teens of curfew

PHOENIX — Recently, the city of Surprise, Ariz. sent residents a reminder of curfew hours.

With school out for the summer, parents and teenagers 18 and under need to know curfew hours. If not, both the parent and child may end up with a Class 1 misdemeanor.

“The curfew prohibits anyone under 18 from being in a public place without a legal guardian,” Sgt. Norman Owens with the Surprise Police Department said.

The curfew hours are from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and from midnight to 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

There are exceptions that could permit a child to be out during the restricted hours, such as emergencies, to attend school or religious activities, or in case of a natural disaster.

“Statistics show that criminal activity that occurs between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. are either crimes committed by juveniles or crimes in which juveniles become victims,” Owens said.

Full details on the ordinance codes are on the City of Suprise website.