Rental crime-prevention program remaining voluntary in Naperville
Landlords and property managers in Naperville won't be forced to join a crime-free housing program because such a requirement would be aimed at a nonexistent problem, city officials say.
"We really don't have the data to support going to a mandatory program," Naperville police Chief Robert Marshall said. "We don't have significant problems in our multifamily communities."
Since 2003, Naperville has offered a voluntary crime-free housing program, providing benefits such as a free property inspection to evaluate safety hazards, use of a crime-free lease addendum to require tenants to keep crime out of their homes and a closer relationship with police.
Despite months of community discussions about whether all large-scale rental properties should be required to participate, the program is remaining optional, city council members decided.
"There wasn't really a strong reason to move forward with a comprehensive rental regulation," said Bob Fischer, a member of the city's housing advisory commission and president of the Naperville Area Homeowners Confederation. "I thought the right decision was just to continue with the voluntary program and continue to monitor it."
Marshall said 16 of the 30 large apartment complexes in Naperville have joined the program and participated in at least its first step - a two-hour seminar run by police about tenant screening procedures and crime prevention strategies.
Later steps in the program include a property evaluation conducted by police to suggest changes that could decrease crime and hosting a resident meeting about safety. Participation also involves landlords adding a crime-free agreement to leases with tenants. The agreement gives landlords the power to evict tenants if they conduct or allow crime in their homes.
It's this last part that drew opposition from social service agencies and officials that help domestic violence victims, such as Judie Caribeaux, executive director of Family Shelter Service in Wheaton. She said domestic abusers could cause crime at their victims' homes in order to control them or try to get them evicted.
"A mandatory crime-free ordinance would really restrict the rights of victims of domestic violence in unintended ways," Caribeaux said.
While Naperville will not be forcing landlords to participate in its crime-free housing program, Carol Stream launched a mandatory program late last year. Since then, Ray Munch, crime-free housing coordinator, said police and landlords have worked together to evict renters who have caused problems with drugs, weapons and a sex offense.
"We have had some success in working with property managers and removing some problem tenants for a variety of crime-related issues," Munch said. "It was easier for us to move forward and address those issues."
In Aurora, where participation in a crime-free housing program has been required since October 2008, officials say it has contributed to the city's lower crime rate even as its population has increased.
"While the program's original aim was to hold owners and landlords accountable, we believe it has evolved to demonstrate that by the city, police department, property owners and tenants working together, everyone benefits," city spokesman Dan Ferrelli said. "The properties are safer for the people that live there, the owners expend less resources on maintenance and other issues, and the community benefits."