Pubdate: Mon, 08 Oct 2007 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Copyright: 2007 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: Trish Audette Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) LANDLORDS TAUGHT TO LOCK OUT CRIME Police Advise Steps For Crime-Free Multi-Housing EDMONTON - There will never be enough police officers to deal with every landlord-tenant dispute in town, Const. Dale Brenneis says. But the Edmonton police officer has a three-step program to keep tenants on meth from even getting in the door -- long before they start partying loudly, urinating in hallways or bringing home sex-trade workers. Brenneis co-ordinates the police service's crime-free multi-housing program, designed to help property managers make good decisions about keeping apartment and condo buildings safe. This week he will be among 520 delegates from around the world gathering in Banff for a three-day crime reduction conference. On Thursday, he will present his program's principles as part of a session on making subsidized housing safe. "It teaches best practices (for) rental properties on how to attract the better tenants," he says. "Once you join my program, you have a police contact all the time. You have me." A two-day session, to start, introduces property owners to gang and drug investigators so they learn to spot marijuana grow operations and residents clearly tied to organized crime. Then, Brenneis goes to the properties and evaluates site safety -- whether dead-bolt locks work properly or if there is adequate lighting inside and outside a building. If the property meets every safety standard, it becomes a crime-free zone. At that point, landlords can add an element to their leases which allows them to learn about a would-be tenant's criminal activities -- or throw the renter out for bringing crime home. Eloise Cameron manages LeJardin Apartments on 110th Street and 98th Avenue. She joined the program when it started six years ago, not because she was seeing much crime but because she wanted to keep it that way. "It works great," she says. "And it would work for anybody as long as they're willing to put in the time, spend the money and educate the tenants." For example, Cameron says, tenants get to know each other better through the program, which allows them to recognize who to let inside the building and who to leave outside. "If it was your own house in the suburbs, you wouldn't let just anyone into the front door." Since 2001, the Edmonton police service has certified 96 buildings as crime-free zones. By the end of the year, Brenneis hopes all 130 Capital Region Housing sites will be certified. The starting cost of the program is $150 for the initial course. "Just because you're a low-income person doesn't mean you have to live around crime," Brenneis says. The Banff crime conference is being organized for the first time by Alberta's solicitor general's department. Co-chairman Curtis Clarke says academics, police officers and community organizers from across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Caribbean and New Zealand are expected to participate. "It's quite a remarkable opportunity to bring so many people together to share their ideas," he says. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman