Tube City Almanac

September 19, 2012

Police Targeting Ordinance Violators

Category: News || By Jason Togyer

City police and ordinance officers are making a concerted effort to target high weeds, property maintenance violations, abandoned vehicles and other neighborhood nuisances.

The stepped-up enforcement comes at the request of Mayor Michael Cherepko, police Chief Bryan Washowich says. "The mayor made it loud and clear that he expects results," he says.

Complaints can be emailed to crimeprevention@mckpd.us.

"All summer, we've been trying to target five to 10 houses a week," Washowich says. "Our feeling is that if we can target five to 10 houses a week, especially on certain blocks, we can start to see a difference."

Adds the chief: "We're going to try and turn things around, but obviously, it's a long-term project."

Targeting ordinance violators is a literal test of the so-called "broken window theory" of law enforcement. The theory holds that one broken window in a building encourages vandals to break other windows, and then to vandalize neighboring buildings, scatter trash and commit other petty crimes.

Ordinance officers fall under the city's community development department. Washowich says ordinance officers are stepping up their efforts to identify owners of nuisance properties, cite them for violations, and then follow up.

The most common complaints, especially during the summer months, include high grass, untrimmed weeds or shrubs, and litter, though officers are also targeting noise violations.

"Policing is not only major crimes, but low-priority crimes," Washowich says. "The way houses look, the way yards look --- it trickles up."

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