GUEST VIEW: DON'T DELAY PLAN TO DEAL WITH DRUG HOUSES

This past Tuesday, 105 individuals registered in opposition to an ordinance
thatt will affect the quality of life for approximately 53,000 people
residing in the La Crosse area. The common theme expressed by the opponents
was articulated by one individual who indicated that "it is ludicrous to
ask us to be responsible for drug dealers."

I was reminded of the many concerns expressed to me by area residents as I
visited the various block-watches on this past Aug. 6, National Night Out.

Our neighborhoods are deeply concerned about drug dealing and other related
nuisance behavior that diminishes their quality of life such as loitering,
littering, trespassing, drug use, gang formation and vandalism, including
entry to parked cars.

These same concerned residents indicated a willingness to work with the
police department and community, recognizing that by working together, we
have the response - ability to address these problems.

The 2001 Wisconsin Drug Threat Assessment Report notes a rise in drug
related crime and drug abuse throughout Wisconsin. So far this year, the La
Crosse Police Department has made 501 drug arrests, which is a 27 percent
increase over last year and a 39 percent increase over the year 2000.

The impact of such arrests is often only short term and dependent on the
resiliency of the market and the buyers. Using arrests alone may give
law-abiding tenants and property owners the unrealistic notion that a drug
market is solely a police problem.

Our Common Council asked me to participate in the development of our new
rental inspection and licensing ordinance. My primary input was to suggest
that those locations in our city where the manufacture, sale or
distribution of drugs is occurring be declared, at the very least, a
nuisance. Clearly, properties where such nuisance activities occur
regularly are a blight on the whole neighborhood. City ordinances declaring
drug houses as nuisances are common in Wisconsin and throughout the nation.
The ordinance allows the police department to participate in a drug house
abatement process.

The process begins with the police department verification, normally as a
result of a search warrant, undercover buy, or other drug recovery that a
drug house nuisance exists. The process includes a letter from the police
department to the landlord and the residents outlining the violations and
applicable statutes and ordinances. The police department then monitors the
location, and if violations continue after one month, the police department
assists landlords in dealing with and evicting the offending tenants.

The process removes excuses and eases the eviction process by putting
tenants on notice that drug activity will not be tolerated.

Drug abatement is simple, effective, and necessary here in La Crosse to
deal with our drug problems. We have both the response - ability and
responsibility to do at least that which other communities are doing. To
date, the city of Appleton, Wis., has initiated 69 such abatements without
needing to issue a single citation to a property owner.

Yes, property owners are responsible for illegal activities occurring on
their property. Action on this matter may be delayed for six months while a
committee of landlords, neighborhood representatives, students and council
members deal with these major health and public-safety issues. I am
reminded of the old clique that a camel was a horse designed by a committee.

Regardless of your feelings as they pertain to licensing, inspections,
etc., it's high time that we enable the police and property owners to
address conditions that foster drug markets on private property. Justice
delayed is justice denied. We need to act now, not six months from now.