Tomorrow, the Dallas City Council will vote on an ordinance that targets "apartment complexes with excessive crime rates," as the council considers revising Chapter 27 of the Dallas City Code, which deals with code compliance in multi-tenant units. It's an extensive overhaul that was first presented to the council's Public Safety Committee in November, then again last week, and it demands a lot from owners of apartment complexes "that exceed a statistically-determined threshold of criminal activity." (Which is determined by a complex equation found on pages 9 and 10 of the proposed ordinance revision.)
The full ordinance, contained within Addendum Item No. 6, can be found here. But, after the jump, the official synopsis.
The proposed ordinance amending Chapter 27 of the Dallas City Code will establish a mandatory crime reduction program for apartment complexes that exceed a statistically-determined threshold of criminal activity. An apartment complex required to participate in the program must pay a $250 program fee, be inspected by police officers for compliance with certain local and state regulations, confer with representatives of the police department regarding crime reduction in the apartment complex, and comply with requirements relating to trespass affidavits, background checks, lighting, landscaping, locked common areas, perimeter fencing, pay phones, crime watch meetings, key control, and residential security surveys. An apartment complex designated by the chief of police to be in the program may appeal to the permit and license appeal board. The ordinance would also require additional information in the multi-tenant property registration application that will assist in administering the mandatory crime reduction program.
The Dallas Police Department participated in the analysis and consideration of crime reducing methods to propose security and safety improvements to benefit the multi-family industry as a whole. The final recommendations are a result of multiple meetings with stakeholders which included City department staff, apartment managers, management companies, property owners, and citizens. These recommendations were included in the proposed ordinance amendment to Chapter 27.
