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Home My WebLink About2012/02/14 Special Orders of the Day- PD Apartment Safety Program Chula Vista Police Department Chula Vista City Attorney’s Office apartment safety project l Chula Vista City Council February 14, 2012 apartment project safety •One-time grant (April 2010 –April 2012) •$357,000 for 1.5 employees, translation services, outreach materials Project goals •Improve quality of life for apartment residents •Reduce police calls at city’s 340 apartments with 8+ units apartment project safety Why apartments? •“Is this complex safe?” •Motel project showed property management matters for public safety •~ 13% of police calls from apartments •~ 25% of city residents live in apartments police calls Top Apartment Call Types% of Total Domestic Violence16% Noise/Party11% Disturbance -Person7% Check a Person’s Well Being5% Disturbance -Family5% Total44% apartment project safety • Surveys • 1-on-1 meetings • Training • Best practices • Resources resident surveys •2,000+ residents •40 complexes •Delivered by Officers, Explorers •Response rate: 18% findings from residents key •Top concerns: 1.Unwanted people hanging out on property 2.Drug use/dealing 3.Noise •Almost 40% don’t feel safe •Almost 60% said they don’t know their neighbors at all, or very well owners/surveys manager •Surveys –275 (340) operators –Online and mail –Response rate: 22% •Focus Group –9 managers and owners findings from managers key •Managers focus on ability to pay when screening tenants, not past behavior affecting disorder -Only 10% check 2and 3prior landlord for ndrd references, a best practice •87% said reports on police calls at their complexes would be helpful focus properties •complexes with highest police call rates 40 selected for intensive outreach •8 to 352 units •“Mom and pop” to national corporations •All on west side Measuring stick •Police calls divided by number of units = ratio city median = police calls per unit, 0.36 per complex, per year = 1 police call per unit every 3 years Complexes by CFS Ratios Mapped Complexes by CFS Ratios 1-on-1 meetings Focus 40 properties managers, owners •Crime and disorder concerns, challenges, management practices •Police calls and arrests for 18 months •Site-and problem-specific recommendations & action plan (i.e. improve screening, enforce community rules; CPTED; police response; remove problem tenant -rare) •Free resources •Long-term trends •Comparison to other properties •“Hot” units •Top calls recommendations key •Screen tenants carefully –pay now or pay later •Actively manage your property with zero tolerance for problem behavior •Build community among residents dv recommendations •Encourage reporting by neighbors –call police •Local resources for victims •30-day lease break law for victims meetings resident 40 properties focus Residents, managers and owners –Police calls at complex –Apartment Safety Tips –DV Flier –Q&A –Cookies & chips meetings community Woodlawn Avenue Apartments June 30, 2011 KingswoodManor Apartments July 7, 2011 /recognition accountability •Website in progress –Police calls posted by complex and unit # --daily –Complexes listed, highest to lowest ratio –quarterly –“Report cards” for each complex --yearly –Free resources –Also, calls emailed to focus 40 community training • Offering 340 apartment operators free training, give “report cards,” Q&A on crime topics –Feb. 14, 16, 22, 2012 • Also provided training for City’s affordable housing managers community policing •Encourage responsible management, partnership –“When you are successful, we are successful.” •No surprises –involve landlords (who will meet with us) and tenants in the process AND solutions •Provide resources, opportunities to improve considering more coercive measures before challenges •Most owners did not participate in 1-on-1 meetings •Property representatives (9 of 40) unwilling to meet or not at address of record •So far, improvement in safety levels has been sporadic and modest –11% call reduction (last quarter) •Hope to build on successes over time future options •If safety levels don’t improve over next year, could explore ordinance like motel ordinance requiring “best practices” at high-call properties •Police staff will maintain project website after grant funding ends contacts KarinSchmerler Senior Public Safety Analyst (619) 409-5410 kschmerler@chulavistapd.org CarolTrujillo Deputy City Attorney (619) 409-5466 ctrujillo@chulavistapd.org www.chulavistapd.org/safeapts