Phoenix (AZ Family) — Maricopa County's top prosecutor is launching a new campaign to combat youth violence in the Valley.
On Wednesday, Maricopa County Mayor Rachel Mitchell announced the launch of a “Report, Don't Repost” campaign with the county's 13 Valley police departments, encouraging teens, teachers and parents to report teen violence online instead of sharing it.
The department said sharing videos of teen violence can harm victims and their families and encourage further violence among teens by drawing attention to perpetrators.
Mitchell highlighted the difficulties law enforcement and prosecutors can face if the video is posted on social media.
“Teens often record themselves or their peers fighting or doing things they shouldn't be doing. These videos often go viral on social media. And the problem is, they aren't reported to police. There's often a lack of context,” Mitchell said.
“Once the video is posted online and on social media, all we know is what we see. We may not know the names of the people in the video or where the fight took place. We may not even know what happened just before or after the video starts and ends. This makes it much more difficult for police to investigate and for my lawyer to prosecute,” she added.
According to the County Attorney's Office, the number of minors charged as adults in 2023 saw a staggering 32% increase compared to the previous year. Additionally, 91% of the cases involved violent crimes, including murder, robbery, aggravated assault, weapons violations, vehicle theft and stolen property.
Mitchell said there was a 350% increase in the number of first-degree juvenile murder cases filed in adult court in Maricopa County from 2022 to 2023. In 2022, there were six cases, but in 2023, 27 cases were filed with Mitchell's office.
Aggravated assault cases also increased by 108% in one year, from 12 in 2022 to 25 in 2023.
Nearly every law enforcement agency in the Valley is participating in the campaign.
We have resources for parents, educators and young people. Learn more about Report, Don't Repost here. County Prosecutor's website..
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