Mesa Police Department concludes ‘Operation Safe Summer’ initiative

PHOENIX — A summer initiative to cut down on youth violence in Mesa was a success, authorities announced on Tuesday.

The 10-week initiative, called “Operation Safe Summer,” ran from May 23 to July 31.

It’s one of many ways the Mesa Police Department is trying to address violence involving teenagers.

“We took a proactive approach,” Richard Encinas, a Mesa Police spokesperson, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday.

Through the operation, officers issued 76 citations for curfew violations to teenagers.

This targeted and proactive approach had a positive impact on the community, according to a news release.

In fact, Mesa Police said preliminary crime data indicates teen violence incidents have fallen since Operation Safe Summer.

How did Operation Safe Summer help cut down on youth violence in Mesa?

During the 10-week period, Mesa police officers prioritized enforcing the city’s curfew laws, which forbid teens aged 15 and under from being outside without a parent or guardian between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds also must be home by midnight.

“We tried to focus on curfew violations, loud party calls, calls where there are large groups of teens congregating, that type of thing,” Encinas said.

Keeping teens off the street may have helped prevent fights and other violent incidents, he added.

“We felt that, by enforcing, specifically, curfew laws … it would get a lot of these teens off of the street in those hours where teen violence usually occurred,” Encinas said.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Balin Overstolz McNair contributed to this report.