Citizen team requests freeway crime study

Nedra Lindsey
The Arizona Republic
May. 28, 2005 12:00 AM

The South Mountain Citizen Advisory Team will ask police to study whether freeways bring crime to neighboring communities.

Concerns about how a new freeway would impact crime, particularly in Ahwatukee Foothills, came up after a resident raised the issue during a question-and-answer period at a prior meeting of the group.

Opposition to construction of the South Mountain Freeway along Pecos Road is arguably strongest in Ahwatukee Foothills.  

Some believe crime, connected to truck stops, could rise in Ahwatukee Foothills if the proposed freeway is constructed along Pecos Road.

"We will need to have some data so that people understand exactly what we've heard," said Kris Black, a member of the team that represents the Foothills Homeowners Association. "It is not likely that we would have truck stops, but it would be nice to have something that supports this."

Peggy Eastburn, who lives near the 67th Avenue exit of Interstate 10 in Estrella Village, said prostitution surfaced at truck stops that opened after that freeway was built. But she did not blame the freeway for crime in her area.

"I think the truck stops change the atmosphere, not the freeway," said Eastburn, who also serves on the Estrella Village Planning Committee.

If Phoenix police determine the study is a priority, it would be completed in six months.

The South Mountain Citizen Advisory Team is a group convened by the Arizona Department of Transportation to give input into the planning process of the freeway.

Team members include representatives from the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce, the Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee, housing associations and others who may be affected by the freeway.