This week marks the beginning of the trial for Joseluis Marquez who is charged with the May 26, 2010 robbery and murder of Arizona State University student Kyleigh Sousa in downtown Tempe. Her brazen murder took place across the street from a police station and was the first of three student murders in and around Tempe’s downtown that year.
This school year opened with the sexual assault and attempted sexual assault of three students at known trouble spots in the vicinities of where the 2010 murders occurred.
Since Sousa was murdered, Tempe has continued to have the highest crime rate in the East Valley and one that, according to the FBI, is significantly higher than those of Phoenix and Scottsdale – two cities with active downtown entertainment districts frequented by students and people looking for nightlife action.
The crime map on the Tempe Police Department’s website makes it easy to see that considerable serious crime in Tempe is committed in the downtown area and the area north of Broadway that’s just south of downtown. Last March a shootout between street gangs at a nightclub on Broadway left 16 people wounded.
Tempe is a known destination for gang members. According to news reports over the last three years Tempe has also become a center of activity for organized crime drug gangs.
The reason I’m rehashing Tempe’s continuing problems with serious crime, gangs, and drugs is because last week there were stories in the East Valley Tribune and Arizona Republic about problems in downtown Tempe and the latest plans to deal with it.
A downtown that was once the jewel of the valley has devolved into a place where crime, noise and panhandling are driving law-abiding citizens away from a place they once enjoyed patronizing.
My wife refuses to go to downtown Tempe for an evening out. Recent nights out at establishments in downtown Gilbert and Chandler were enjoyable and not interrupted by aggressive panhandlers, rock star wannabes, and worries about crime. Both cities have much lower crime rates than Tempe’s.
When I was a police officer walking a beat in the then-crime ridden downtown Mesa, the crime rate was nearly 30 points more than what Tempe’s current crime rate is. Thousands would gather there on weekends until city fathers decided enough was enough and took back the downtown from revelers and criminals. Mesa now has a crime rate that’s 24 points lower than Tempe’s.
Crime destroys a city’s quality of life.
Any discussion about downtown Tempe’s problems with crime needs to include what can be done to stop the problems in downtown from spreading throughout Tempe.
If you ask me, Tempe has lost control of downtown problems and crime in parts of the city. There’s a reason why criminals like Tempe. Law breakers are obviously comfortable there.
Even with Tempe pouring millions of extra tax dollars into the police department since 2007, including a sales tax increase in 2010, city officials are still trying to come up with an effective plan to prevent and control crime and take back downtown.
If Tempe, especially downtown, loses it’s charm, tax revenues will fall and Tempe will continue to sink lower on the list of desirable places to be. Other cities are chomping at the bit to make their downtowns more desirable and safer destinations for residents, businesses, visitors and a night out on the town. Tempe’s not the only downtown game around anymore.
In recent years Tempe seems to continually have downtown problems that negatively impact the community. Something’s obviously not being done right by elected and appointed city officials.
Tempe could learn much from Chandler, Gilbert and Mesa.
As Tempe once again tries to figure out what to do with the downtown’s decline and its crime problems, they need to remember the senseless murder of Kyleigh Sousa and the other crime victims who’ve paid dearly for visiting the downtown Tempe area and that crime is costly to everyone it touches.
Retired Mesa master police officer Bill Richardson lives in the East Valley and can be reached at bill.richardson@cox.net.
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Leon Ceniceros posted at 4:03 pm on Thu, Oct 11, 2012.
BILL............GIVE THE (ANYBODY BUT MESA P.D.) .......VENDETTAS......A REST.
KJDaVinci777 posted at 12:46 pm on Mon, Oct 8, 2012.
BILL, I used to live in Tempe and I did not realize how bad the crime situation has become...Very informative article...However, in reading some feedback comments, some Arpioa supporters cannot handle the truth...Looks like Tempe has the slime Arpaio infection...
Engaged Voter posted at 12:13 pm on Mon, Oct 8, 2012.
"Thousands would gather there on weekends until city fathers decided enough was enough and took back the downtown from revelers and criminals. Mesa now has a crime rate that’s 24 points lower than Tempe’s."
I notice that, of all the cities' nightlives you mentioned, you omitted Mesa.
Could that be because of the fact that Mesa effectively HAS NO NIGHTLIFE.
Lower crime? Well sure, that happens (along with lower everything else) when you force businesses to close and transform downtown Mesa into a deserted ghost town at night.
lauraaz posted at 8:44 am on Mon, Oct 8, 2012.
It seems to me that our city council, and former mayor have been on a mission
for the last few years of promoting growth through higher density. It seems that the downtown merchants and developers get anything that they want without any thought to how the development would effect quality of life. Some good examples would be the boondoggle streetcar project, and the section 8 housing high-rise on Apache. Neither project took the concerns of the neighborhood residents seriously. The city government is only interested in growth, not quality of life. Since Tempe is land locked, the only way it can grow is increased density. This increase in density is almost always followed by an increase in crime. Its the city government that has been promoting downtown Tempe as the party center of the valley. Is it any surprise that the police are unable to control the party atmosphere downtown? If the police were to crack down or even slow down the party, all the downtown merchants are going to go crying to the city council that its hurting business. In my opinion, its the city council and mayor(s) that need to be held accountable.
billrichardson posted at 7:05 am on Mon, Oct 8, 2012.
Rich,
You make some very good points. "Policing only works as a partnership with the public. And no such partnership exists," is so true. What the police can and should do is to strike fear in the hearts of real criminals and not your average citizen. Thanks.
Rich posted at 9:30 pm on Sun, Oct 7, 2012.
Bill,
Have you ever stopped to consider crime? We all commit crime, most of us daily. We are subject to so many minor infractions that any police force is impotent. In Tempe, the density (and scientific study does confirm it as a factor), diversity (again scientifically related), all play a part. What you are talking about is anarchy, and we live it. More police won't solve it, better police only make a small dent. The man who got a ticket for his trash being 38 inches out of place, can only partially take you seriously. The man who has been attacked by police, standing on his front lawn, committing no crime, yet convicted of nonsense, simply doesn't believe in law at all, yet he is your juror, and your control. Policing only works as a partnership with the public. And no such partnership exists.
billrichardson posted at 7:28 am on Sun, Oct 7, 2012.
mcharlesj41,
Density is no excuse for crime. Downtown has been dense for years so it's not a new situation. Questions about drugs and gangs are also not new. The shooting on Broadway is relevant because of who the shooters were and the their willingness to blast away in crowd at a local music venue. As far as the downtown district and the area around it and crime, it appears that's epicenter of the crime problem and as we know, crime can spread if not controlled. If density is the problem city officials need to come up with a plan to deal with it effectively and quickly. I live in Tempe and am sick and tired of Tempe, my home town, being the crime capital of the East Valley and having a crime rate higher than Phoenix's, and double the average crime rate in Arizona. I'm also sick and tired of the city raising my taxes to pay for a police department that continues to spend money without fixing the problem. Check out the new Arizona Republic website at http://www.azcentral.com/news/cityguides/index.php and compare Tempe to other cities in costs and results. The other thing I find interesting about Tempe's problems is that when I ask the police chief, city manager or mayor and council about crime you don't get an answer. When I ask questions in other cities I do. What's Tempe got to hide?
Thanks for taking the time to read my column. I hope I answered your questions.
mcharlesj41 posted at 1:36 am on Sun, Oct 7, 2012.
Why in the world is Bill Richardson "The Guest Commentary" with regards to Tempe crime issues? Bill should look at statistics in relation to population within a high density downtown area like Tempe and the population density of downtown Mesa. Also, how does the mass shooting over two miles away at Broadway and Dorsey have anything to do with the Tempe downtown district? Bill, help me understand your point; this article is all over the place in regards to Tempe and you live in Mesa!?
PCSO101 posted at 6:42 pm on Sat, Oct 6, 2012.
Bolo,Bolo, Bolo, CBS TV 5 News just announced on live TV that there was a shooting at the Serranos Mexican Food Restaurant in "Down Town Chandler"! The very City that Bill Richardson just lauded. Bill Richardson has a vendetta against many. Get real Bill, call it for what it is. You have a vendetta, its well known, and you are pathetic, living off your dated career. Have another BEER, wake up in the morning, have another BEER, have lunch, have another BEER, play keyboard rage, and reboot, have another BEER. Write about Tempe crime, PCSO, and any others that may cross your path. What a miserable life!
mwmike posted at 1:42 pm on Sat, Oct 6, 2012.
"Tempe is a known destination for gang members. According to news reports over the last three years Tempe has also become a center of activity for organized crime drug gangs." Where did you get that? Total bs.
"Mesa now has a crime rate that’s 24 points lower than Tempe’s." And the streets are deserted! With your prejudices, I'm sure glad that you're no longer a cop.
tededitedit posted at 12:22 pm on Sat, Oct 6, 2012.
I live in and bike around Tempe and have to agree with Bill's assessment and point of view that there's some problems at the highest levels. I just don't see TPD around much until there is a response. I see grafitti (criminal paint damage) staying up much longer now because of budget cuts. I don't see why serial panhandlers can't be dealt with. I've heard from solid TPD officers that they are still under-manned on the street. Is Tempe's police department too "top heavy"? Do they have a morale problem? I don't understand why there isn't a stronger police presence in known "party zones" in neighborhoods throughout Tempe. I know however that community involvement is a big part of the solution. Citizens must help be the eyes and ears of law enforcement, along with Orbit drivers and garbage truck drivers. Maybe our new Mayor and his council will make crime and nuisance a higher priority than the stupid trolley and the "town lake".
billrichardson posted at 10:15 am on Sat, Oct 6, 2012.
Chat,
No rant, just facts. Tempe's policy makers have made decisions that have left parts of Tempe as danger zones. For whatever reason the chief of police and his command staff haven't been able to take control of the problem like Mesa did and continues to do even though they have more cops and more money than everyone else. Student population in Tempe down as more students attend ASU campuses in Mesa and Phoenix and commute to Tempe. I find it hard to believe that ASU students who pay $10,000 plus costs like a dorm and parking are the people who are committing the crime in Tempe. Tempe has been aware of the problems since they appointed a new in-house police chief and gave him extra money to spend to attack crime. They spent $250,000 of that to repaint police cars black and white to "help recruiting." Tempe has excellent police officers just like other cities do. The weak link in Tempe appears to be the policy makers and appointed officials who can't seem to get it right. Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix and Scottsdale seem to be able to get it right, why not Tempe? Blaming ASU doesn't hold water anymore. IT wasn't ASU students that had a shoot out down on Broadway in March, it was Crips and Bloods. It's no ASU students peddling weed to fellow students in Tempe, it's the Sinaloa Drug Cartel dealing weed, meth, cocaine and heroin.
chatmandu002 posted at 9:58 am on Sat, Oct 6, 2012.
Bill,
Another rant against the Tempe police department. There has to be some underlying reasons for these continued attacks on the Tempe police department. Bill you fail to notice the changing demographics that have changed both Mesa and Tempe. Mesa has dissolved into a poorer state of suburban squalor. While downtown Tempe has evolved into a uptown higher density with an urban flavor, mostly from the influence of ASU. Along with this influx of liberally minded students and urbanites comes the influence of drugs and partying. This influence of drugs and parties brings crime. There is always some lag time between the changing demographics and the ability of government services to catch up. Give Tempe a chance to engage these problems, I am sure the Tempe police department will respond in a positive manner.