Report: Valley Circle K's are hotspots for crime

MESA, AZ - The Mesa City Council will vote on Thursday whether to toughen city ordinance on convenience stores in order to cut down on crime.

Mayor Scott Smith said the city has considered making extra security measures mandatory for months.

"We wanted to address the stores that have a problem," he said. "We want to take care of situations that are creating crime."

The move comes at the same time of a new Arizona State University study, which examined the number of crimes happening at convenience stores in Mesa, Glendale and Tempe.

The study found Circle K stores in those cities have a disproportionate number of crimes compared to other stores.

And in some cases, officers respond to Circle K locations at least once a day.

Smith said it's a problem that is stretching resources for the Mesa Police Department as officers respond to minor - and perhaps preventable - crimes, tying them up for hours.

The ordinance that Mesa is considering would require several enhanced security measures, including high-resolution video cameras and silent alarms.

Circle K officials declined to comment for this story.

Police spokesmen for Glendale, Tempe and Mesa also turned down interview requests.

See the full ASU report