The killing of 16-year-old Preston Lord and social media videos showing attacks by a group known as the "Gilbert Goons" shined a light last year on teen violence in the Southeast Valley.
Now law enforcement leaders from across Maricopa County are launching a public-awareness campaign they’re calling “Report, Don’t Repost.”
Queen Creek police led the investigation into Lord’s death, and seven people now face murder charges. But Gilbert police have faced criticism for how they’ve handled complaints about the "Goons."
Chief Mike Soelberg said a lot of times his officers get calls about videos that appear to have been recorded in his town.
“That’s the difficulty with these cases. When it’s not reported. We have to go find it. Try to verify, where did it come from? Is it our jurisdiction? Is it somebody else's?”
At a news conference on Wednesday to launch the campaign, Maricopa County attorney Rachel Mitchell said the number of local teens charged as adults with murder and aggravated assault spiked significantly last year.
“And especially when you consider that overall crime is trending downward. But juvenile crime here and across Arizona and the rest of the nation is on the rise,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell is seeking reelection in November.
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