Columbia moves code enforcers to police department

The city has transferred its 20 code enforcers to the police department with the mission of getting homeowners, landlords and business owners to keep their properties in good condition.

Despite city laws that allow violators to be fined or dragged into court, Police Chief Skip Holbrook said his plan is to walk softly and resist the big stick.

“The philosophy is not going to be punitive in nature,” he told City Council on Tuesday. “The goal needs to be compliance, not punishment. These code enforcement activities would follow practices seen in other cities, such as Columbus, Ohio, and Atlanta with the intent of improving quality of life in our neighborhoods.”

However, Holbrook is contemplating some get-tough measures:

City manager Teresa Wilson ordered the reorganization July 7 after council’s Public Safety Committee had requested ways to improve code enforcement, Holbrook said.

The new Quality of Life unit will be run out of police department headquarters on Washington Street, but code enforcers will be assigned to each of the department’s five police regions, Holbrook said.

New uniforms and vehicle decals are being ordered. Code enforcers – who are not police officers – will wear khakis and polo-style shirts with “police department civilian code enforcement” imprinted on them.

“We don’t want them to be confused for a police officer,” Holbrook said, “but we want them to be associated with the police department.”

Code enforcers will work with property owners, especially those who are too old or infirm to properly maintain their homes or businesses. The enforcers will help trim weeds, fix broken windows and other services, the chief said.

Code enforcers have plenty to do, despite caseloads that dropped by about 2,500 during the fiscal year that ended June 30, compared with the previous 12 months.

According to Holbrook’s analysis, most problems center on:

Holbrook said the new unit will be assigned to shifts so that they can deliver official summonses to property owners after normal business hours when they are more likely to be at home.

Enforcers also will team with the police department to get access to databases at the State Law Enforcement Division, the state Department of Motor Vehicles and the city’s water customer lists to better track down who owns properties.

Holbrook foresees the need for more money to carry out the new mission. The unit will need to hire more workers to enforce commercial codes and to accelerate demolition of commercial properties that have reached that point of deterioration.

The city has sent a mixed message to property owners over the years by regularly moving code enforcement responsibilities to various departments, Holbrook said.

“The ball was kind of passed around to various departments in the city.”

This story was originally published August 5, 2014 at 10:27 PM.