CALIFORNIA
Oakland's
Safe Streets Now! program teaches volunteers how to
recognize drug houses in their neighborhoods, organize their
blocks, and work with local police to document the public nuisance
of drug-related activities on various properties. Neighborhood
residents bring documented complaints to property owners and if no
action is taken, every community resident may sue the owner for
$5,000 apiece. Since 1989 the program has trained more than 2,000
Bay Area citizens who have closed 268 drug houses and won more than
$760,000 in small claims court. Crime rates have fallen 60 percent
in Safe Streets Now! Neighborhoods.
Contact:
Molly J.
Wetzel
Executive
Director
Safe Streets
Now!
408 13th
Street, Suite 452
Oakland,
California 94612
San
Francisco's Code Enforcement and Receivership Programs
employ a special multi-agency task force, organized by the city
attorney, to review complaints and conduct inspections of
properties where multiple code violations are suspected. If
hazardous violations are found, the property is boarded up. The
program has been particularly useful in closing crack houses. To
date, the task force has conducted 86 property inspections, issued
72 citations, and closed 35 crack houses. Where recalcitrant owners
continually ignore court orders to abate code violations, the
receivership program allows a court-appointed receiver to perform
the necessary work. Repair costs are recovered either from the
owner's rent receipts or bank assets. The program thus avoids
closing the building or evicting the owner or tenants while
ensuring the rehabilitation of housing stock.
Contact:
Mary Jane
Sylvia
Legislative
Assistant
Office of the
City Attorney
City Hall,
Room 206
San
Francisco, California 94102
COLORADO
The Aurora
Gang Task Force is one of the nation's most comprehensive
citizen efforts to reduce the influence of gangs. Relying on a
broad base of community participation, residents work to increase
the availability of recreational activities for young people, beef
up police resources, institute tougher sentencing for gang-related
crimes, and disseminate accurate information about gangs to the
public. The program also presses for statewide changes in laws
related to gang activities and seeks to make parents liable for the
gang activities of their minor children.
Community-oriented policing has resulted in an
increase in gang-related arrests in the area and an upsurge in
public awareness of gang problems.
Contact:
J. Michael
Stiers
Division
Chief
Aurora Police
Department
15001 East
Alameda Drive
Aurora,
Colorado 80012