Police report juvenile vandalism arrests and rising collisions; fire crews continue mutual aid to regional fires

Pleasant Grove police reported several enforcement and safety concerns during the city council work session on July 15, including arrests tied to vandalism and ongoing concerns about collisions involving motorcycles and bicycles.

A police presentation said officers arrested six juveniles after social media and in-person reports prompted response to Evermore Park, where the group "scaled the wall and were going around ever more exploring and, at 2AM ... spray painting inside buildings with some paint cans," the police chief said. The juveniles were arrested and referred to juvenile court on burglary and vandalism charges, according to the chief.

Traffic safety was a repeated theme. The police chief said the department has responded to multiple serious collisions in recent weeks, including both motorcycle and bicycle crashes. "Most of them have been the fault of the motorist," the chief said, though he noted the most recent incident was the cyclist's fault. The department also reported a collision on the Murdock Trail involving an unleashed dog and a bicyclist; the rider was transferred to hospital with broken ribs and the dog owner was issued a citation.

Staff told the council the department will increase a visible presence at park closing times and deploy speed‑monitoring trailers. The police chief said the city plans to purchase two additional speed trailers — one of which will collect traffic data.

Promotions and workforce updates were also announced: two officers, Rick Henderson and Alex Garcia, were promoted to sergeant, and academy recruits are scheduled to graduate in August and September.

Fire Chief remarks in the same session described a busy summer for the department and mutual‑aid deployments. The chief said firefighters were sent to a wildfire near Pine Valley and to a larger incident near Moab and Deer Creek; he described those assignments as part of the regional response system. The chief also described a recovery operation at Silver Lake after a man who entered the water to attempt a rescue did not surface and was later recovered.

The fire chief said crews also assisted with a fuel tanker crash near Spanish Fork and that departments across the county continue to share resources.

Both chiefs emphasized staffing, training and interagency coordination as ways the city is responding to higher call volumes this season. The fire chief said the department is recruiting for a part‑time inspector to help with training and inspections.