“It’s worked in numerous cities,” said Code Enforcement Officer Jeremy Leist. “That’s what we want to do here.”
City leaders detailed their efforts for residents during a recent town hall meeting attended by residents from streets like Prince Albert Blvd., Pleasant Valley Ave., Guernsey Dell Ave., and others nearby.
Leist said the city wants to focus on three goals: Identify all vacant and abandoned homes; establish a public nuisance policy; and “achieve a presentable appearance” throughout the neighborhood.
“It’s not like I’m going to come in with an iron fist,” Leist said, noting the city’s focus will be on trash and inoperable vehicles at first. He said residents will be given notice ahead of increased enforcement, and the city will host another meeting in the spring before then.
“Everyone will get a chance (to clean up),” Leist said. “I’m giving everyone plenty of time and plenty of notice.”
Additionally, city officials are working with the local land bank to tear down 34 homes throughout the city, said Brock Taylor, Riverside director of planning and program management. Officials are also considering the establishment of a rental registration system to promote landlord accountability.
Residents expressed to city officials frustration with crime in the neighborhood, including drug use and theft. Several residents detailed cases where small items, such as cigarettes, were stolen from front porches. In some instances, residents said they’ve resorted to arming themselves and setting up surveillance cameras around their homes.
Not all residents were convinced efforts to clean up the neighborhood would result in lowered crime, especially drug crime.
“Until the drug activity is out of that plat, it doesn’t matter who cuts the grass or who doesn’t,” said Freda Patterson, of Marjorie Ave.
Police Sgt. Adam Colon encouraged residents to call in suspected crimes to police so they are known to authorities, even if an arrest cannot be made at that time. Police often repeatedly arrest troublemakers in neighborhoods, Colon said.
“When we arrest them and put them in jail, we have no control over what happens thereafter,” Colon said, noting he often wished he could “buy them one-way tickets to Siberia, but we can’t do it.”
Calls for police, fire and zoning service in the plat are among the highest in the city, officials said. In the past 12 months, police handled 4,196 calls, while fire made 314 runs. Zoning, which has one code enforcement officer, had 652 calls to the plat, city officials said.
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