Addison police: 'New unit making progress'

Addison police say they're making progress in combating crime in apartment buildings thanks to their new Community Response Unit.

The unit was formed to complement Addison's Crime-Free Multi-housing Program, which began two years ago to train nearly 300 landlords on choosing tenants and how to better manage their properties.

As landlords got more savvy with handling crimes in their buildings, they wanted better communication with police.

“We wanted to improve our relationship with landlords and we now work very closely with them,” unit supervisor Sgt. Roger Saran said.

Toward that end, the department established its Community Response Unit comprised of 11 specially trained officers, three supervisors, a commander and a coordinator who divide these duties with their regular ones. Now landlords have direct contacts when problems arise.

Police also notify landlords any time they are called to their properties, even for small issues like noise complaints.

In addition, there is a list of 19 crimes, such as gang activity or selling drugs, that cause police to send landlords official “letters of abatement.”

Saran said the letters are a useful tool for landlords.

“The letter gives them more leverage, since it came from the police,” he said. “It's ammunition to get a bad tenant out, because we do not want to displace crime, we want to get rid of it. These crimes affect the landlord's livelihood, because if you get one bad tenant, your other tenants start leaving.”

Since the unit began in May, 48 letters have been issued and 40 resulted in eviction notices. Landlords who receive three letters can land in court and their properties will be declared a nuisance.

The Community Response Unit also addresses quality-of-life issues in high crime areas, such as making sure street lighting is adequate and monitoring abandoned cars and homes.

Saran said the department has received “nothing but positive feedback” and the program has created many partnerships.

“It's gone way past our expectations,” he said. “We really have the whole village working together, with departments like finance and community development also getting involved.”