"It looks terrible like that," Las Cruces resident Jerry Mayers said. "It looks like an ugly city when people come in."

Police have already covered one wall of the canal with a mural showing a police badge and an American flag. It reads, "365," in honor of the new city initiative that aims to tackle a different community issue each year.

"What this project does is it utilizes a group effort, a community effort, of people who will come together and work to resolve the problem," Las Cruces Police Chief Richard Williams said.

The teens are involved with the juvenile citation program.

"They come in and they're actually painting on a surface for something good," said Juvenile Diversion Program Supervisor Amber Parker. "It can change their minds about certain things. It helps them give back to the community."

Police will also work with other city departments along with businesses and community volunteers. Project 365 is a new part of the National Night Out campaign, which is an event meant to raise awareness of police programs in the community.

Police said the goal is to complete the cleanup of the flood control canal within a year. They are planning two more murals and other supervised youth service projects.