Mesa officials said they knew John Meza had amassed an impressive resume during his 28 years with the Mesa police, along with a long record of reaching out to the community and building trust. But during the shooting spree on March 18 that left one man dead and five other victims wounded, they witnessed Meza’s ability to lead.
Mesa city officials rewarded Meza with a vote of confidence Monday when they dropped the ‘interim’ tag from his title and promoted him to the full rank of police chief.
Meza said his plans for the department include a program to deter teens from joining gangs, a police athletic league, crisis intervention training to more effectively help with the mentally ill, and re-establishing the police explorers program for high school students.
