POLICE TEACH LANDLORDS ALL ABOUT DRUGS

Seminars On Identification And Crime Prevention Help Keep Properties Safer.

As she settled back into her seat at Ozarks Technical Community
College, Jane Hulett couldn't wait for the next lecture. The subject:
methamphetamine.

As part of the Crime Free Multi-Housing program Saturday, officers
from the Springfield Police Department ran local landlords and
property managers like Hulett through a crash course on identifying
drugs and drug manufacturing.

The program, now in its third year, also included seminars featuring
attorneys and other local experts who gave advice on the application
process, lease-drafting and eviction proceedings.

"I've been in the apartment industry about 20 years, but everything
changes," Hulett said. "You've got to keep up."

She hasn't had any problems with methamphetamine production at her
apartment complexes, she said. And by learning more, she hopes to keep
it that way.

"I would know, if I walked into an apartment and if I smelled
marijuana," she said. She's found tenants growing a plant or two
before - some even tried to convince her the plants were part of a
college science project.

"But these days - they could blow up an entire building, and there's
no way to protect your property or your residents from that situation
unless you go through all of the training and get the information
that's out there, like in these seminars," she said.

The partnership is good for everyone involved, said Sgt. Troy Smith,
an officer in the Community Services Section of the Springfield Police
Department.

"We get a lot of calls from landlords or complex managers, if they
suspect there's drug use or manufacturing going on in their
apartments," he said.

In addition to the risk of explosion, the cost of cleaning up a
property where meth has been produced can run into the thousands of
dollars, he said. Often, the landlord is the one left footing the bill.

By teaching property managers what to look for, it helps avoid those
situations.

"It gives them really good crime prevention tips, which in the end
benefits us, because of reduced calls," Smith said.

In general, Smith told the owners and managers at the seminar to trust
their instincts.

"If there are things that are out of the norm, something's probably
going on," he said.

Even innocuous things - like a large number of Zip-Lock bags in the
trash - could indicate drug activity. Drug dealers commonly package
cocaine and methamphetamine in the bags, he said.

"If you find a bunch of plastic bags with the corners torn out, I'll
bet you a paycheck someone's dealing drugs."

While the information they gained from the seminar would help the
attendees better detect criminal activity, Smith told them to leave
further investigation to the police.

"We'll come out and take care of it for free."