Richmond Police Department plans to take its fight into the homes of drug offenders.
The department met this week with about 40 city landlords to explain how beginning Friday it will use the state's Nuisance Abatement Law to chase drug offenders from their rental homes, culminating with eviction, if necessary. RPD hopes landlords will cooperate and become, as Capt. Bill Shake said during his presentation, "co-producers" of public safety.
Richmond's heroin and growing methamphetamine problems impact neighborhoods, Shake said. Evictions of drug offenders shove the problems out of those areas, improving quality of life.
Neighborhoods have become a priority for Mayor Dave Snow and RPD under Chief Jim Branum, who develop connections through meetings and walks while trying to help build active neighborhood associations.
"The mayor is definitely behind neighborhoods," Branum said. "I just thought it (the landlord meeting) went real well. Forty people got together on a Tuesday to talk about landlord-tenant issues."
Landlord Sandra Roussel welcomed the police's help with evicting problem tenants.
"I think that can change everything," she said. "It's expensive, it's tedious, it's time-consuming, and this will expedite the process. I think the police will meet with less resistance than regular processing."
RPD also listened to landlord concerns and provided information about checking on potential renters, creating a safe environment and noticing signs of potential drug problems. And those problems are everywhere, especially in rental properties.