How to truly crack down on ‘teen takeovers’

I want to thank the Naperville Police Department for protecting the downtown area last week. After months of “teen takeovers” bringing chaos and danger to what is typically a safe, serene community, the police were more aggressive in showing zero tolerance for crime and disorder. But since these “takeovers” will likely persist through summer, it is clear this is only the first step to stopping these mobs from coming back.

Police need to double down on zero tolerance. Arrest anyone engaging in any level of criminal offense. Don’t let anybody skirt the line or test our community’s boundaries. To our officers: citizens want you to err on the side of making an arrest when one of these teens decides to play an ill-advised game of “how much can I get away with?” We need to make them regret playing stupid games by awarding them the prize of being placed in handcuffs. We also need police to identify the online organizers of these “takeovers”. We need sting operations to unmask ringleaders and hold them accountable.

For our part, locals should notify police of all unruly, disorderly conduct rather than letting it slide. Let’s make sure these teens know our community doesn’t tolerate this behavior.

These are our next steps. Our proud, beautiful downtown is under attack, mostly from people outside our community. They come to intimidate us and claim our space as their playground. They want to “take over” our town, and we simply can’t allow that.

Naperville belongs to families and locals who want to experience downtown without fear of being subjected to a barbaric mob. It does not belong to criminals and thugs. Let’s prove that the next time the mob decides to show up downtown.

Matt Teitelbaum

Naperville