- Nuisance abatement
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Nuisance abatement is a growing area within policing and code enforcement. The term refers to using building codes, fire codes, zoning, etc. in order to improve the quality of life and resolve life safety issues within neighborhoods. Nuisance abatement programs are most often a component of problem oriented or community policing programs. In most Canadian jurisdictions, Bylaw enforcement officers handle nuisance abatement.
Contents
Communities
Nuisance Abatement programs exists in a number of communities and are organized at the city, county and state levels.
Albuquerque
The City of Albuquerque features a task force of members drawn from various city agencies known as the Safe City Strike Force. The Albuquerque program's goals include enforcement of City codes and ordinances; such as housing code enforcement, dogs, graffiti vandalism prosecution, vehicle forfeiture proceedings, and Metropolitan Court Arraignment Program [1]
Connecticut
The State of Connecticut features a specialized unit in the Asset Forfeiture Bureau of the Office of the Chief State's Attorney. Their Nuisance Abatement program combines civil remedies and innovative problem solving with traditional policing and criminal prosecution to address the quality of life in communities throughout Connecticut.[2]
Gainesville
The Gainesville, Florida program centers around an administrative board that can impose fines and other non-criminal penalties on property owners for the activities that occur on their property which constitute a public nuisance. Violations of the Nuisance Abatement Ordinance are not criminal, and will not result in arrests, but are an addition to the criminal actions that will be taken.[3]
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
In Canada, the Edmonton Police Service in the province of Alberta implemented the now defunct Derelict Housing Unit. This unit consisted of one uniformed constable who was tasked with identifying relevant agencies to deal with problem addresses, where policing powers were not best suited to dealing with the issues present. Working on a referral basis, the police member would assess a problem address and contact the organization with the strongest legislation with which to deal with the concern. Police were responsible for providing a safe work environment, such as a health inspector assessing a known drug house, and ensuring that community stakeholders were apprised of any actions taken based on complaints made to the respective agencies. It was an extremely successful program that eventually met its demise due to budgetary restrictions and mismanagement at higher levels of administration.
References
- ^ http://www.cabq.gov/budget/pdf/Safe%20City%20Strike%20Force%20(Legal).pdf
- ^ http://www.ct.gov/csao/cwp/view.asp?a=1798&q=285774&csaoNav=%7C
- ^ http://www.gainesvillepd.org/nuisance_abatement.htm
External links
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