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Neighbor hopes to close north Phoenix alley that gave access for man to expose himself to 2 girls

Posted at 9:11 PM, Oct 14, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-15 01:27:59-04

A north Phoenix resident hopes to have his neighborhood alley shut down after a man used it to gain access to a backyard and expose himself to two young girls.

Tom Randl has tried before to close the alley that runs behind his home near 11th and Dunlap avenues.

He needed, but didn't get, the support of two-thirds of his neighbors whose properties touch the alley when he tried two years ago, he said.

He believes he'll get that support this time.

"It's a magnet for criminals," Randl said of the alley, which is used for trash collection bins and telephone poles.

The alley is open-access, allowing anyone who passes by to enter. A man rode his bike through the alley before jumping over two walls to get to the young girls in late September, according to police. That man is still on the loose.

Randl said he spots someone in the alley who doesn't belong almost every day. He carries a gun to be prepared for potential confrontations.

If Randl can rally enough support from his neighbors, the city will then have to sign off on the plan. 

That process takes about eight weeks, according to Michelle Thompson, a spokesperson for the Phoenix Planning and Development Department.

If the plan is approved, Randl hopes to have a metal door installed on both ends of the alley, which would provide for emergency or utility access but would otherwise restrict who could enter.

For more information on the city's alley abandonment process, click here.