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City officials report progress combating violent crime, vandalism and prostitution in West Phoenix.That part of town has struggled with those issues for years. In fact, if you look at a police map from this March, pockets of violent crime still glow bright red in West Phoenix, but an annual city report from the region does show some good news, including a 14 percent reduction in violent crime since 2005. That’s a touch better than the citywide average.

The city’s Brandie Barrett says last year West Phoenix community members also painted 24,000 sites covered in graffiti and focused on truancy reduction in the Washington Elementary School District.

"They really worked toward identifying what causes truancy and to resolve the underlying reasons for the truancy" because skipping school is a gateway to future crimes, Barrett said.

The West Phoenix Revitalization Area annual report covers a 52-square mile area.