CPD hosts training to keep crime out of multi-family properties

The Columbia Police Department hosted a crime free multi-housing training on Tuesday for property owners, managers and staff to help keep crime out of multi-family properties.

According to CPD, crime can be devastating to a rental property, both from a financial and community standpoint.

“It’s helps to offer better communication between the property owners and the police department,” said Jason McClintic, the event’s coordinator.

He said he likes to describe it like a “neighborhood watch.”

“The more active and interconnected those communities are with each other as well as the police department, the lower we see crime rate,” McClintic said.

The event gives crucial information that the property owner or rental property staff would not normally otherwise have, according to McClintic.

ABC 17 spoke to one property owner, who did not want to be identified. He said he did not know about today’s event until too late, and he has owned properties such as this for more than 30 years.

“Problem is the people that cause the riff raff move from apartment property to apartment,” the property owner said.

He said he plans to join the next event, but he feels like his hands are tied and he does his best to get terminate tenants as soon as he sees suspicious activity.

“Don’t wait too long to pull the trigger on eviction,” said attorney Steve Scott at Tuesday’s event

The event covered crime prevention, application screening steps and the signs of drug activity.

McClintic said it is a three phase event, and Tuesday was phase one.

“Phase two is the second step where we do a survey at the location,” McClintic said.

He said they will review the property in efforts to improve it and keep crime out.

“There are seven fully certified Crime Free Multi-Housing properties in Columbia,” according to the press release. Five of those are student housing facilities.

The third phase of the project will be a social between the police department and property owners on how to improve the facility and give advice.

“Property owners see the certificate as an advantage to get future tenants,” McClintic said.

CPD will hold its next event sessions in February, June and October of 2019.