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2016-12-01 / Front Page
Calling landlords into action
Asst. U.S. Attorney, town officials discuss role of landlords in preventing drug crime
By TORY JONES
toryb@eagletimes.com
Springfield Police Chief Douglas Johnston speaks to residents and rental property owners during Tuesday, Nov. 29. Johnston, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont Jon Ophardt, Project ACTION representatives and town officials met with residents and landlords to discuss opioid use and trafficking, especially in rental properties. — TORY JONES
Springfield Police Chief Douglas Johnston speaks to residents and rental property owners during Tuesday, Nov. 29. Johnston, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont Jon Ophardt, Project ACTION representatives and town officials met with residents and landlords to discuss opioid use and trafficking, especially in rental properties. — TORY JONES
SPRINGFIELD — Landlords and Springfield citizens met with Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont Jon Ophardt, along with police and town officials Tuesday to discuss action against opioid use and trafficking, especially in rental properties.
About 80 Springfield residents attended the meeting to voice concerns and ask how to build a safer community and combat an ongoing drug presence.
“We’re not asking you to enforce the law. We’re asking for information,” said Springfield Police Chief Douglas Johnston at the public meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at the First Congregational Church meeting hall.
New homeowner Pam Kimball, a Springfield native who lives near an elementary school with her husband Seth, said at the meeting that they have no children yet, but are concerned.
“I’d like to raise my kids here, and I want to see a better future for them,” she said.
The purpose of the meeting was to solicit input and help as town officials and police work to “fully engage Springfield landlords” in the effort to combat the drug issue, according to a letter to local landlords from Town Manager Tom Yennerell.
Yennerell said that many drug dealers in Vermont sell their product from homes and apartments occupied by people who host the dealers in exchange for money. Often, those are rental units, he said.
“Folks aren’t using hotels and motels anymore,” Ophardt said.
Ophardt asked that Springfield residents, landlords, tenants and homeowners “try to keep communicating through the chief” when they see or suspect drug activity at rental properties or homes. In turn, the U.S. Attorney’s office will reach out to contact those rental property or homeowners, he said.
One option, if owners make no effort to remediate the situation, is civil forfeiture, which Ophardt called a “blunt instrument with a lot of force.” That legal tool allows properties to be seized if owners are aware of illegal activity and make no effort to address it. However, he is only asking that landlords take “reasonable action” and report it to police, he said.
“Continue the communications, and there will be efforts made to get those folks in line,” Ophardt said.
Because of an inspection clause that requires a 48-hour notice to drop in for inspections, unless there is an emergency, some property owners said they felt powerless to confirm when they suspected illegal drug activity or trafficking at their properties.
Johnston and Ophardt said that property owners can install video cameras facing outward into common areas or parking lots, and can report license plate numbers, dates and times if they or tenants suspect illegal activity.
Ophardt said that installing lighting and keeping fences mended may help reduce illegal activity on rental properties.
“We have become something of a magnet for addicts,” said George McNaughton, a Springfield Selectboard member. McNaughton suggested the town move forward with forfeiture actions.
Stephanie Thompson, a selectboard member who also works with Project ACTION, and Selectboard Chair Kristi Morris also attended the meeting.
The problem with eviction is that suspected drug users or sellers will move across town and take another apartment, with a “revolving door” after arrest, bail and release, unless the person is a flight risk, Morris said.
“The serious cases, with the shootings we’ve had, those people are all incarcerated,” he said. There is a “market in Vermont,” and the town is trying to work with its law enforcement and residents to try and stamp out the problem, he said.
Mike Johnson, director of Turning Point Recovery Center, said that it is not always people in recovery causing problems, but that state legislators should look at supporting recovery and treatment. He also offered to speak with community members seeking help with recovery.
One way to combat the high rate of illegal activity at properties is to call for referrals on applicants, and to run a basic background check, which costs about $30, the police chief said. An authorization form for landlords to have potential renters consent to a background check is available at http://vcic.vermont.gov/ch-information/record-checks.
Having a lease with a clause that specifically addresses drug activity helps too, the chief said. Sample rental leases, from which landlords may copy and paste, are available at the SPD’s website. If a landlord calls the police chief with a basic background check request, he can advise if a person has a criminal background, he said.
Wendi Germain, a property owner, said that a small group of landlords keeps in touch regularly, and welcomed others to contact her if they would like to be included in an email list.
Morris said the town has been working with the police department since a shooting occurred in 2012 to add video surveillance cameras in public areas, which Johnston said came with a cost of $5,000 per camera, and added foot patrols to help combat drug trafficking.
In response to several meeting attendees pointing out one property on Union Street and stating that drug activity has allegedly been taking place at that address for at least three years, Ophardt said that his office cannot comment on particular cases, but that he was aware of reported activity at that address, and that he and the police chief have been “talking about it.”
Morris said toward the end of the meeting that the town also partners with several action programs, such as Project ACTION, Springfield Medical Care Systems, and Turning Point Recovery Center to educate on and prevent drug abuse, and to help those in recovery and treatment for the disease of addiction.
“It’s not a perfect system, and it’s not a perfect world,” he said, adding that it is “important that we help these people with treatment.”
so why didn't they use the government to take the house the school district bought,could of saved some money
ReplyDeleteThere also needs to be community awareness of where to turn when friends or family become drug users. I have been down the road of seeing a loved one using drugs, and feeling powerless to find help for them. Ultimately, this individual seems to have (at least for now) gotten back on track, but I'm left wondering what I could have done better to facilitate that return to "normal". And what will I do if there is another detour in the road.
ReplyDeleteSimple, instead of getting the monkey off (their) back with possible a prison sentence, lock in room, tie to bed, be there by their side 24 7, a few weeks and their on the way to possibly not going to prison (or worse). Don't reply that takes to much time (to save a life)?...like saying the nicotine patch is to expensive compared to a carton of butts at $60.00. Get tough. Time for cold turkey, hey just remembered got some in the fridge.
DeleteForced rehab does not work. The change occurs by volition in the user's mind.
DeleteAbsolutely, Philip~~
DeleteHere's Dr. Gabor Mate's summation of that:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCzXbsGAXiI
It's about time to hold landlords accountable. Were it not for them giving addicts and dealers safe heaven, the drug problem would vanish. Mandatory drug testing, criminal background checks, and requiring EVERYONE who lives there be on the lease and undergo them, are PEFECTLY LEGAL, as are criminal and civil penalties for landlord who rent to dealers and other criminals. Stiff fines and jail time for slumlords will, if enforced, make them get rid of the criminals, or get out of the business.
ReplyDeleteHow about holding the people that have been running the town for years while it descended into the abyss accountable? The police chief and selectmen that have been helpless in preventing the deterioration while the town burned. The town has been hell bent on preventing self-dependent businesses from operating in Springfield. You want to fix the town instead of blaming the land lords? Throw the bums out. I am not talking about just the druggies and dealers. Throw the town management out.
ReplyDeleteWe are still very much in the grip of the shop-town mentality: One of the shop workers told me that in the old days when a floor supervisor switched his choice of service clubs (say, from the Elks to the Moose), everybody on the floor would also switch. In the waning days of Precision Valley, I asked a young worker if that was still the practice, he said, "No, but we have a name for it: Brown-nosing."
DeleteA shop-town mentality makes a person believe that there's supposed to be somebody else, not him, to handle the problem, because, hey, that's what my supervisor does-- or is suppose to do. That mindset also makes the person feel entitled to complain when nothing is done-- hence, Anonymous comments on this blog.
And finally, the rape of Precision Valley was not common in industrial America at the time, so we really were unprepared to prevent it. It would be nice if we took steps to keep that from happening again, but as one of our candidates said of Springfield's now-biggest employer, "The owners would never sell it." The very next week, they sold it.
The new owners could sell it to Unilever, and we could lose it. But we could put safeguards in place.
Chuck, you are making assumptions (far-reaching assumptions) on faulty data. The group-service-club-change phenomenon was neither common nor anywhere near 100% when it did occur. What does that do to your 'shop-town mentality?'
DeleteChuck, brown-nosing aside, one of the better books I've read on professional development is, Swim With The Sharks. In it the author details that winners promote and surround themselves with subordinates sharing their goals and interests.
DeleteThe author cites a successful example of a faceless, young, manager spending thousands to join an exclusive health club frequented by senior mgmt. In my case it was an up scale gentleman's club. It's good to be king!
Good point, Machinist! But for every winner, there are a thousand lackeys-- and, judging from the Anonymous complaints found on this site, they stayed in Springfield when the sharks left with Precision Valley.
DeleteTotally agree 8:12. Landlords have some responsibility, but when the town does nothing to encourage economic growth and development-this is what happens. Look at how many properties are for sale. I for one would leave in a heartbeat if I could. This town thrives on human services. I blame the town management,police and local reps in Montpelier who have watched this town deteriorate. Slumlords are everywhere. But it is supply and demand, since Springfield is in demand they provide housing. It isn't rocket science. So many houses get sold, cut up and rented. What is sad is we live where there are opportunities to have industry and accessible to 91 and 89 and Springfield has totally wasted it.
ReplyDeleteWould someone please explain how they think the police have made things worse?
ReplyDeleteNot responding to numerous complaints from the community regarding drug use. Lack of leadership. Need to have new blood to help facilitate solutions. I know many people, including myself that are property owners who have witnessed numerous drugs deals and have been victims if theft and report it. Nothing happens. How many robberies has Springfield seen over the last few months, I can't believe that the only one that was solved was because the idiot was driving a known stolen ATV that is bright yellow. It was the community, not the PD that helped apprend the guys.
DeleteAsk the town manager and selectboard about the issues that were brought to them about the PD administration. Many of the cops on the street have ideas to be more effective, those ideas fall on deaf ears and those cops are ostracized for not getting along. It has been going on for the last 10+ years. Frustrated cops leave, the administration doubles down on their ways, or a knee jerk reaction happens (foot patrols, lunch with a cop, crime mapping, cameras down town...) Ineffective leadership, leads to ineffective cops, which leads to crime, which leads to property values dropping, which leads to blight and more crime
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