It’s not a new problem in Kansas City: Large groups of teens flock to the Plaza on summer weekends, and they don’t always follow the rules.
Kansas City Police Department Central Patrol Operations Sgt. Greg Williams says the plan this summer is to take a harder line if teens are violating any city ordinances.
“It’s not going to be zero tolerance, but if you have kids running in the street, yelling and screaming – something that we probably in the past would talk to them and try to get them to knock it off before we actually would cite them or their parents – we’re going to go ahead and make that initial arrest,” says Williams.
Williams says officers will try to isolate teens before making an arrest so as not to trigger a group panic.
The department also is using cameras and undercover officers to monitor the Plaza.
The Plaza is one of five Kansas City entertainment districts with a 9 p.m. curfew for teens 17 and younger. It goes into effect Memorial Day weekend.
