By Megan Janetsky | Arizona Republic
Nearly two years ago, the Royal Palm neighborhood received a shock after a man wandered into an open residential alleyway, jumped over the fence of a neighbor’s yard and exposed himself to two young girls.
Residents of the neighborhood began collecting signatures, petitioning the Phoenix City Council to close problem alleyways by installing gates.
Now, the eyes of Phoenix residents and officials are turned toward the Royal Palm and Sunnyslope neighborhoods as the city implements a pilot program that will gate and close those alleys in an effort to decrease crime and illegal dumping.
“More than anything, I want to see how it deters crime,” said Phoenix Councilwoman Debra Stark.
