Pubdate: Wed, 05 Jun 2002
Source: Daily Advertiser, The (LA)
Copyright: 2002 South Louisiana Publishing
Contact:  http://www.theadvertiser.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1670

POLICE HAVE NEW TOOL IN FIGHT TO MAKE NEIGHBORHOODS SAFER

Issue: Criminals Who Return to the Same Area after Being Arrested. We 
Suggest: A New Law Gives Property Owners a Compelling Reason to Evict Them.

Lafayette police have a new weapon in their battle to protect neighborhoods 
from drug dealers and other criminals. A new law allows them to evict 
criminals from property where they are committing illegal acts. In the 
past, there was no way to prevent crooks from returning to the same 
neighborhood and the same property after being arrested. The law gives the 
property owner a strong interest in preventing that in the future. If the 
person responsible for criminal activity is not booted out, the property 
owner can be ordered to board up and maintain the property for five years.

By making it possible to prohibit people from allowing criminal activity on 
property they own, the law gives police a big stick that has been badly needed.

This additional law enforcement clout will enhance an already effective 
approach to making Lafayette neighborhoods safer. The Community Oriented 
Policing (COP) program is restoring lost trust and diminished 
communications between officers and the residents of troubled 
neighborhoods. There is a stronger police presence in those neighborhoods, 
but it is more than that of a patrol car cruising by. Police are 
interacting with citizens, providing a sense of security while better 
communications enhance their ability to identify lawbreakers.

In certain areas of the community, many people lived in fear for years in 
their own homes. The changes resulting from COP have been obvious. The new 
law is another positive step forward.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager