On November 4, 2024, a journal was turned into the Mesa Police Department that allegedly belonged to a 42-year-old woman identified as Brook Scalero. The journal described in torturous detail the continued abuse and ultimate deaths of multiple dogs under Scalero’s care.  On June 7, 2024 “Paws Fur the Cause” reported that on May 19, 2024, Scalero agreed to pay $500 for a 3-year-old Maltese mix dog named “Pepe”. The organization allowed Scalero to leave with the dog under the pretense that she would pay for him that night, but she never followed through.  On October 5, 2024, officers r ..read more

Over the last week, Mesa police officers have responded to and investigated several threats of violence toward schools in the city of Mesa. Threats have been made verbally and through social media. Our community has come together to combat these threats and have included officers in the discovery of such threats, following the “Report, Don’t Repost” campaign, started by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Thank you! Because of you, Mesa police officers identified six juveniles suspected of threatening violence in a school organization. The cases were not related; however, every case involve ..read more

On July 4, 2024, just before 10:30am, Mesa police officers responded to a welfare check in the parking lot of 645 W. Rio Salado Parkway. The caller stated three people were in a gold Cadillac and the driver appeared to be unconscious and slumped over.  Officers pulled up to the Cadillac and as they began walking toward the car, the driver, 26-year-old Gabriel Rodriguez, immediately opened the door and ran away. Two officers ran after him and one officer stayed with the vehicle, which was occupied by 38-year-old Julian Reyes and 24-year-old Sunflower Short. The officer could see small blue ..read more

Firework tents and sale locations for fireworks seem to be everywhere you turn. And while some businesses are only sticking to legal fireworks for sale in Arizona, some are not. The Mesa Police Department began its Fireworks Enforcement Operation on June 24, 2024. Within that week, Mesa police officers along with Mesa Fire Inspectors began to inspect firework sale locations and proactively investigate illegal firework sales.  On June 27, 2024, officers initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle for making a wide right turn and saw illegal fireworks in the open truck bed as they approached. The ..read more

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the world’s largest and most influential professional association for police leaders, has an initiative called the Trust Building Campaign. Law enforcement agencies everywhere are encouraged to participate in the campaign. To join the Trust Building Campaign, law enforcement agencies must pledge to implement 25 key policies and leading practices within a 36-month period. The Mesa Police Department is pleased to announce that prior to even learning about the IACP’s initiative, the department had already completed all 25 key policies and ..read more

On June 13, 2024, around 9:30 PM, officers responded to a “shots fired” call. The caller reported receiving an alert from his front door camera about someone outside. As he approached the door, he heard BANG! The glass of his front door shattered right in front of him, scathing his forehead, and extensive damage to the front of the home remained. Front Entryway Damage Overhead Entryway Damage Front Door Damage Officers learned that what they originally thought was a gunshot, was actually a firework. It was thrown against the house by suspects who fled th ..read more

With the Fourth of July right around the corner, Mesa police officers are getting in front of illegal firework possession and sales. Just yesterday, on June 8, 2024, officers pulled over a vehicle with a suspended license plate. While speaking to the driver, 22-year-old Nicholas Ruiz, and passenger, 47-year-old Carlos Barron, officers saw boxes of illegal fireworks in the vehicle. Illegal Fireworks Illegal Fireworks Officers learned that Ruiz bought the fireworks in New Mexico and he and Barron had hopes of selling them for profit in Mesa. Officers seized over 50 suspecte ..read more

Business owners and employees in downtown Mesa were stunned the morning of May 17, 2024, when they arrived to find their glass windows broken. Eight businesses all experienced the same fate as a man walked the street throwing large rocks through their windows as he passed. Luckily for police, the man was caught on surveillance video and several officers identified him quickly as 38-year-old, Brian Galvez. Although not every act of criminal damage was caught on video, officers were able to use video evidence from the downtown area to put together Galvez’s path of destruction, which left over $9 ..read more

  News Release The Mesa Police Department is investigating an attempted sexual assault of a minor that occurred over the weekend and is asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect.    On February 3, 2024, just before 9:00 p.m., Mesa Police Officers responded to an apartment in the 300 block of N. 75th Street for an attempted sexual assault on a minor. The suspect had already left the area on foot and officers were unable to locate him. He is being described as a black male between the ages of 25–40 years old, standing 5ft 10in tall with a medium build. The suspe ..read more

What should have been a simple transaction turned into much more for a mother and her seven-year-old daughter on a Wednesday afternoon in Mesa. After listing her car for sale on OfferUp, she met with a potential buyer at Wells Fargo Bank, located near Stapley and McKellips. While speaking to the buyer about the vehicle and sale price, she came face to face with a career criminal who pointed a gun at her and demanded she give him the vehicle. The woman ran with her daughter, trying to escape what she thought was going to be the end of her life. Her daughter fell in the parking lot, scraping her ..read more