In Georgia and across the country, officials are trying to hold the owners of crime-ridden apartments accountable.
While solutions can be simple, getting complexes to put them in place is difficult. Fixes require money and other resources.
These efforts are ongoing and may take years:
Dallas, Texas: A police proposal to create a uniformed team to identify apartments with chronic crime met criticism from City Council members during its March unveiling. The team would tailor strategies for each location and coordinate with code enforcement and other city departments. Council members complained that the plan lacked specifics and would only address complexes already overrun by crime.
Syracuse, New York: The New York attorney general launched a 2021 investigation after reports that crime was rampant at apartments owned by the same company. Many units were uninhabitable, and human waste polluted some hallways and washing machines. In March, she announced a deal that would reduce a $300,000 penalty if the owner fixed all code violations in 60 days, and required it to alert the attorney general if it purchases more properties in the next five years. The company missed its May deadline and will be subject to a year of independent monitoring.
Whiteville, North Carolina: The district attorney for this town of 5,400 filed a civil suit against the owners of a complex after a barrage of gunfire forced children at a nearby T-ball practice to take cover. About 100 shots were fired. A temporary restraining order issued in October prohibited new residents, banned visitors and blocked the owner from selling or giving away the apartments.
Little Rock, Arkansas: A spike in violent crime led to a February vote by city leaders to declare a public health emergency. A sweep of one complex where a recent killing took place uncovered about 100 city code violations, including backed-up plumbing and holes in the ceilings. The mayor said making repairs could reduce crime, but a police union official said other tactics would be more effective.
Birmingham, Alabama: The city attorney filed suit against the owner of a high-crime apartment complex in June 2021, asking a judge to require the company to implement security measures. A settlement required the owner to agree to pay $15,000 to a neighborhood revitalization fund, implement a series of security measures and cooperate with authorities as they monitor the measures’ effectiveness.
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