Housing Program Targets Criminal Activity

Jon Edwards remembers when strangers loitered in his apartment complex late at night.

It was noisy, and few residents knew each other. The Valley man didn’t feel comfortable parking his car in the parking lot. Instead, he paid extra to lock it inside a garage.

“There was a general feeling of uneasiness,” said Edwards, a resident of the Aspen Village Apartment complex near Fourth Avenue and Sullivan Road.

Jodi Chadduck, another Aspen Village resident, felt uncomfortable just walking through the parking lot.

“I was thinking about moving to a new place,” the young woman said.

Until the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program came along.

Thanks to the new crime-fighting program, Chadduck no longer has to look over her shoulder. And Edwards no longer rents a garage.

The apartment’s managers have been trained by local law enforcement to recognize criminal activity and prevent it - through screening, landscaping, security measures and apartment “block watches.” So far, Aspen Village is the only Valley apartment complex actively involved in the program.

“We want to make sure this is a nice safe, quiet place for people to live,” said Aspen Village manager Bonnie MacRae, a former Forest Service enforcement officer who calls the crime-fighting program “awesome.”

“I don’t know why more people aren’t taking advantage of it,” she said.

The program, created in 1992, is now used in 38 states. Here in Spokane County, it’s a partnership between the Spokane County Sheriff’s Department, the Spokane Police Department, Spokane’s Block Watch program and Kiemle and Hagood Co., a property management firm.

So far, only about 20 landlords, apartment managers and management company officials have been trained to use it in their complexes.

Law enforcement officials hope to boost that number in the near future. Eventually, they hope the program will serve as an aid to prospective tenants, helping them determine which apartment complexes view security as a priority.

Apartment complexes that complete the three-step program receive a sign identifying them as a member of the Spokane Crime-Free MultiHousing Program. They also receive a certificate after completing each step.

MacRae and her co-manager have framed their certificates and display them prominently in the complex office. Some prospective tenants are happy to see them. Others, MacRae said, clearly are not.

“This kind of environment is going to scare off the residents you don’t want,” MacRae said.

The program teaches managers to properly screen applicants, recognize criminal activity and evict those involved in it. They learn to improve security and change landscaping that attracts criminals. They learn how to set up Block Watch programs in apartment complexes and crime-prevention meetings for their residents.

Complexes are required to meet a list of security requirements, including deadbolts on all exterior doors, 180-degree peep holes, security lighting and parking areas that don’t identify which unit a vehicle belongs to.

Like many apartment complexes involved in the program, the 162-unit Aspen Village is still working on certification in all three areas. MacRae would like to see more complexes getting involved.

“You want to retain residents,” she said. “You need every tool you can have in order to better protect them.”

Training workshop To participate in the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program, owners and managers of rental properties must complete an 8-hour training workshop. Cost is $35. For more information or to register, call the Block Watch office at 625-3303.