Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Code Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Chief outlines code enforcement duties, workload and complaint process after officer’s medical absence
Summary
At a Des Moines Public Safety Emergency Management Committee meeting, the chief described the role and workload of the city’s lone code enforcement officer, explained a relationship-first enforcement philosophy, and pointed residents to online complaint reporting and a code enforcement email address.
The Des Moines Public Safety Emergency Management Committee heard a detailed overview of the city’s code enforcement work and complaint process after Code Enforcement Officer Corey Baderman was absent for a medical procedure.
The presentation, given by the department chief, said code enforcement enforces “health, safety and community standards” through property maintenance and building-safety work, and acts across city departments — including legal, public works and planning — rather than as a standalone police function.
The chief told the committee the office emphasizes prevention and relationship-building before punishment. “Instead of going up to somebody and saying ‘here’s a ticket, fix it,’ he goes up to somebody and says, ‘are you aware there’s a code? Let me explain what the code is. Are there resources you need?’ ” The chief said officers sometimes provide vouchers for trash disposal to resolve problems without moving straight to citations.
Committee members were given a snapshot of workload and case volume. The chief said Baderman receives about 20 new complaints per week, maintains roughly 200 active cases at a time and resolves roughly 20–25 cases in the same interval. The presentation said Baderman handled 717 complaints last year (as reported in the meeting).
Complex, long-term and bank-owned properties can require substantial effort to resolve, the chief said, and many cases are not solved by a citation alone. The department works with legal, planning and behavioral-health staff on derelict properties and cases with underlying mental-health issues.
The chief also described a secondary duty in Baderman’s job: a final review of certain animal-control criminal investigations submitted by CARES when cases are closed without charges, to ensure no additional investigative steps remain.
For residents, the chief said the city website includes a direct report form that sends complaints to the codeenforcement@desmoineswa.gov inbox, and allows photo uploads. “It is a one-stop shop for filing a complaint or grievance related to something code enforcement related,” the chief said.
Committee members asked how code enforcement coordinates with other departments on nuisance issues such as obstructed sightlines, property-line disputes and animal-control matters. The chief said many responses are multiagency and may include public works, legal or behavioral-health staff. The chief noted the city’s website and the email address as the quickest ways for residents to file complaints.
The committee did not take formal action on code enforcement during this presentation; the session was informational and the chief solicited feedback about public education and outreach around code functions.
