A Central California city has disclosed a striking tally of teenagers stopped by police after Fresno imposed a nighttime curfew for minors in response to a recent wave of crime.
The Fresno Police Department said officers launched a two-week “summer crime suppression operation” on June 10, with the goal of curbing dangerous traffic violations, deterring violent crime and helping ensure children and teens could get through the summer safely.
Police later described “Operation Safe Summer” as a success.
During the enforcement push, officers made hundreds of arrests and brought 228 juveniles back to their parents or guardians as part of the curfew effort aimed at protecting young people during late-night hours.
Beyond returning minors under 18 to their homes, the department said 228 parents were also informed about the city’s curfew rules.
“In regards to the juvenile contacts made, the safety of the juveniles contacted was the priority for our officers and not a single administrative citation was issued,” the department told The California Post.
Police said the minors were taken back to their parents or guardians, while adults were briefed on the municipal code provisions tied to the curfew.
The department added that it appreciated parents’ cooperation and was relieved that every juvenile contacted was safely returned home rather than being placed at risk of becoming a crime victim.
The crackdown was enforced every night from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. for kids under 18.
Despite all this good news, teen crime is still happening. Fresno PD is currently investigating a shooting at an apartment in Northwest Fresno on Tuesday night.
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“Officers located a victim, 19-year-old Edgar Hernandez, inside an apartment suffering from an apparent gun-shot injury to his upper body. Hernandez was transported to CRMC, where he was treated but later died,” per PD.
A 13-year-old juvenile has been arrested and booked into custody for manslaughter in connection with the deadly shooting.
Police are also investigating a stabbing of a teenage boy near Sunnyside High School that occured on Wednesday.
Officers responded to the 100 block of South Peach Avenue around 6 am for a report of a teen suffering from a stab wound to the chest. The teen was transported to a local hospital and is currently listed in stable condition, PD said.
A 17-year-old male was later arrested in connection with the crime.
The curfew crackdown came on the same day a 17-year-old boy was hospitalized after being stabbed in Fresno, ABC30 reported.
Investigators previously said the teen and his brother, who was found hiding in a nearby carport, have been uncooperative with authorities, leaving detectives with few details about what led to the attack.
No arrests have been made as the investigation remains ongoing, per PD.
The two-week operation in Fresno also resulted in more than 560 arrests, those included 260 felony arrests and 306 misdemeanors.
PD said they also arrested 87 gang members and 38 firearms were seized. Hundreds of parole and probation searches were conducted during the operation which netted 17 parole and 38 probation arrests.
And a combined 3,000 traffic and pedestrian stops, resulted in officers handing out nearly 1,000 citations to violators.
“Thanks to proactive efforts, homicides leveled off and shootings dropped, contributing to a 10% year‑to‑date reduction,” the department said in a post on social media.
