TRENTON -- Starting July 1, Trenton police officers will enforce a new curfew against any teenager under the age of 18 that is out in public after midnight.

The teens, though, will not be going to jail - they're going to church.

And police will call their parents too, Police Director Ernest Parrey Jr. said Wednesday.

Parrey said the details of the program will be announced formally - and publicly - in the near future with area clergy members.

The main effort, he said, is to offer the teens counseling and aid through area churches. Officers will take the teens right to churches or faith-based organizations, the director said.

Their parents or guardians will then be contacted to come pick up their children.

The move comes after several recent shootings - and the shooting deaths of two teens under the age of 18 in the past three months.

The police director, in an interview Tuesday, said it's been a challenging recently in Trenton.

"We will continue to pursue and to take folks into custody. It's unfortunate that we're going through this, but again, everything plays a part," he said.

"We're finding a lot of younger folks involved and because of that - it's those idle hands, what do I have for me, what's out there for me other than this particular life," Parrey said.

"We're going to continue doing what we're doing, and we're not going to allow the city to fall into the hands of a small group of predators, because that's what I consider them to be," he said. "We have different programs set up for us regarding policing, and we're going to forge ahead."

Although both teens killed recently were slain in daylight hours, other shootings have occurred throughout the night and and teens have been involved in numerous recent crimes, police say.

Ciony Kirkman, 16, was killed in April while seated in a stolen minivan that was fired on at the intersection of Jersey Street and Home Avenue around 6:25 p.m. on a Sunday evening.

A 17-year-old has been charged with her murder.

And last weekend, 15-year-old Maurice Wimbush-Jalaah was fatally shot outside the Prospect Village housing project during what his family believes was a disagreement while visiting friends.

Responding officers arrested two 18-year-olds who had fled the scene with guns, but charges have not been filed yet in connection with the homicide.

Police arrested a third teen on Monday night who also bolted on foot from officers responding to Wimbush-Jalaah's killing.

The city's had 11 homicides so far in 2016.

- Reporter Cristina Rojas contributed to this story.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.