PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 Three years after the city of Phoenix implemented new plans to address some of the most crime-ridden parts of town, city officials are calling it a success so far.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition to the reduction of crime, you\u2019re just going to see less blight, less graffiti,\u201d said Phoenix Police Department Patrol Division Assistant Chief Sean Kennedy.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s part of the results of the Community Safety Plan<\/a> that was established by the city in 2022. The effort aimed to address safety concerns along I-17, improve perceived safety in the area, enhance the outreach process for those in need, and reduce crime.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can see that this coordinated approach and the Real Time Operations Centers are making a difference in these communities,\u201d said City of Phoenix Special Projects Administrator Nick Valenzuela.<\/p>\n Some parts of the plan included a Real Time Operations Center<\/a>, a collaboration between different city departments to increase access to services, education, prevention, and safety.<\/p>\n One of the parts of town targeted in the plan is the area of 27th Avenue between Camelback Road and Indian School Road, a place that for years was a notorious spot for prostitution and violent crimes<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to the city, violent crime in the midtown area of 35th Avenue to I-17 from Indian School Road to Northern Avenue is down as much as 40%, trespassing is down 30%, and overall crime is down 29%. The city says that the Royal Inn was also seized and closed<\/a> as part of the community safety plan, and the Office of Homeless Solutions has been focused on outreach to individuals in that area.<\/p>\n But do businesses in that area notice a difference? Arizona\u2019s Family stopped by several along 27th Avenue on Friday to ask. We were met with differing opinions between those who say they feel the safety improvements and others who say they don\u2019t notice much of a change at all. <\/p>\n We met one worker at a laundromat who says she\u2019s noticed more of a police presence in the neighborhood in recent years, but only several months ago, her boss changed the store hours to close earlier in the night, after she raised safety concerns. Arizona\u2019s Family also saw firsthand on Friday night that the problem is not completely gone.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can show them the data to show where we have made improvements, but then we also got to show them the data that shows where we got more work to do, and we acknowledge that and that continued collaboration is going to continue in those areas that we need,\u201d said Kennedy.<\/p>\n The data about the Community Safety Plan was compiled through a study<\/a> by Arizona State University. City officials are still collecting feedback from the results and plan on presenting and recommending next steps to the Phoenix City Council next month.<\/p>\n See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it<\/a>.<\/p>\n