POLICE HAVE NEW TOOL IN FIGHT TO MAKE NEIGHBORHOODS SAFER

Issue: Criminals Who Return to the Same Area after Being Arrested. We
Suggest: A New Law Gives Property Owners a Compelling Reason to Evict Them.

Lafayette police have a new weapon in their battle to protect neighborhoods
from drug dealers and other criminals. A new law allows them to evict
criminals from property where they are committing illegal acts. In the
past, there was no way to prevent crooks from returning to the same
neighborhood and the same property after being arrested. The law gives the
property owner a strong interest in preventing that in the future. If the
person responsible for criminal activity is not booted out, the property
owner can be ordered to board up and maintain the property for five years.

By making it possible to prohibit people from allowing criminal activity on
property they own, the law gives police a big stick that has been badly needed.

This additional law enforcement clout will enhance an already effective
approach to making Lafayette neighborhoods safer. The Community Oriented
Policing (COP) program is restoring lost trust and diminished
communications between officers and the residents of troubled
neighborhoods. There is a stronger police presence in those neighborhoods,
but it is more than that of a patrol car cruising by. Police are
interacting with citizens, providing a sense of security while better
communications enhance their ability to identify lawbreakers.

In certain areas of the community, many people lived in fear for years in
their own homes. The changes resulting from COP have been obvious. The new
law is another positive step forward.