West Chicago Has High Hopes for New Crime Free Multi-Housing Program
West Chicago, Illinois: September 27, 2011 - Rental properties present a unique challenge for law enforcement. The typical Neighborhood Watch approach to residents in single family homes is not easily adapted to rental communities. In January of 1992, the Mesa (Arizona) Police Department developed the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program as a new unprecedented concept for crime prevention in the rental communities. The program's concept is to take a multi-faceted approach to crime prevention. A unique coalition of police, property managers and residents of rental properties, the program takes a three phase approach to address all of the opportunities of crime in rental property.
The Crime Free Multi-Housing Program has now come to the City of West Chicago. On June 20, 2011, City Council approved the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program as part of recommended updates to the existing “Licensing of Residential Rental Property” ordinance (to view this ordinance, visit the City's website at www.westchicago.org). It is now mandatory that all rental properties with 100 or more rental units attend a training class and use a Crime Free Lease Addendum. Any other rental properties, those with less than 100 rental units, may also participate in the training on a voluntary basis and the West Chicago Police Department strongly encourages them to do so.
The Crime Free Multi-Housing Program achieved almost instant success wherever it was introduced. In rental properties with the highest crime rates, the immediate results showed up to a 90% reduction in police calls for service. Even in the best properties, reductions of 15-20% were not uncommon. The West Chicago Police Department is hoping for similar results.
The first training class will be conducted on Monday, October 3rd and Tuesday, October 4th from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. (attendance on both dates is required). Crime Prevention Officer Robyn Nielsen is the coordinator of this program at the West Chicago Police Department. Additional training dates will be available in 2012.
If anyone has any questions about the program or would like to register for the October training class, please contact Officer Nielsen at (630) 293-2751 or via email at RNielsen@westchicago.org.
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