Future EPD Program to Combat Crime Through Partnerships, Prevention

Of all the things you need a license for in the City of Evansville, owning rental property isn't one of them. That could change early next year.
   
But this isn't just about licenses or landlords or tenants, it's about preventing crime which oftentimes is half the battle.

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The flashing lights, the blaring sirens, and the union blue are the sights and sounds of reaction. But there's the other side of law enforcement for Evansville Police Officers Kevin Corbin and Eric Krogman. 

"Rather than trying to take care of a problem that already exists, if we can stop it before it begins, we can stop a lot of things from being set in motion," said Officer Krogman.

It should come as no surprise these crime prevention officers are spearheading the effort to bring the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program to Evansville. They learned of the program at a crime prevention school in Louisville last year. After months of research and public input, the two officers went before the Evansville City Council Monday night to outline it's benefits. The program is the brainchild of a Mesa, Arizona police officer. It has a proven track record of reducing crime and reducing the number of service runs to even the most troublesome apartment complexes.

As part of the program, landlords would receive training on how to properly screen potentially troublesome tenant and how to make their properties safer overall. It also gives landlords the legal expertise on how to evict tenants who commit crimes. By adding a 'crime free lease addendum' to the lease, tenants who break the law can be evicted after 'one strike.'

"Even if we make an arrest, a lot of times that individual may bond out in a day, a week, a month and officers are back there dealing with the same person for the same issue," said Officer Krogman. "It's not long term problem solving. What we want to do with this program is long term problem solving."

Not every tenant is a pain and not every landlord is problematic. By rooting out repeat offenders, Officer Corbin says there's security in efficiency.

"You think about how often an officer has to make a trip to the complex to see the same person for the same problem," said Officer Corbin. "If you're dropping the amount of time they got to spend there by 50, 60 or 70 percent, you're freeing up that officer to make all the other runs."

The two crime prevention officers say the program's overall benefit comes in the improvement in the surrounding community's quality of life. It's the spill-over effect of crime prevention.
  
"It's asking the tenants, landlords and us to have a little more accountability for what we do and if you can prevent things from happening from the get go," said Officer Corbin. "Then we don't spend all our time and our officer's time constantly responding to the same problems that could have been dealt with beforehand."

Some police departments who have already implemented the program report drops in crimes and service calls by as much as 70 percent. Cities who have implemented the program range from bigger cities like Orlando, Florida to smaller cities like Anderson, Indiana.

The program would be voluntary. To receive certification, landlords would pay a one-time fee of $50. The certification includes 8 hours of training, an inspection and assessment of the property.

Evansville City Councilwoman Missy Mosby says she fully supports the program and will bring the subsequent ordinance for it's first reading by the end of the year.