Police explain specified-crime-property tool; council asks for arrest and calls-for-service data

Police leaders explained how the city's specified-crime-property ordinance works as a complement to criminal enforcement on April 24.

Police representative Rex Mueller walked council through the code elements: the ordinance ties to the nuisance code, targets repeated illegal behavior at a structure (drug activity, prostitution, assaults, alcohol violations, gambling, juvenile delinquency, noise) and requires evidence of repeated violations within a defined period. The process begins with a notice to owner/occupant detailing the nuisance and abatement steps, a 10-day window to request a hearing with the city manager as hearing officer, and potential municipal infractions or nuisance-abatement actions if the problem is not corrected.

Mueller and legal staff described uses of the tool — notably as leverage with absentee landlords — and acknowledged it is not a “magic bullet.” Council members pressed for data demonstrating the threshold of repeated calls or convictions that produced a designation, and the chief provided an example: a property on South Lions was previously declared under the ordinance after sustained calls and arrests. Council asked police to return with arrest statistics and calls-for-service breakdowns to confirm the objective basis for any designation before moving forward on additional properties.

Council emphasized the need to pair enforcement with available local supports and to document how the ordinance is used so it does not inappropriately sweep in facilities that serve vulnerable populations. The chief and staff said they would provide the requested data and return to the council with additional documentation.