West Covina residents now have a powerful tool to use in solving serious neighborhood problems. Unfortunately, it is all too common to find a single residence in any given neighborhood which is used for illegal activities, such as drug trafficking and gang activity. Typically, these houses are not owner occupied, and along with illegal activities, the properties become run-down and eyesores to the neighborhood.
Property values are depressed, and the public health, safety, and welfare are noticeably impacted.
While it is a primary mission of the Police Department to enforce laws and apprehend persons suspected of illegal activities, the neighborhood residents themselves are actually more strategically placed to provide an immediate impact on such properties. Neighbors are there every day, observing these activities and feeling their impacts. The Safe Streets program creates a close working relationship between affected neighbors and the Police to combat problem properties, through the use of civil courts to sue for damages caused by these offending properties. This community policing tool enables neighborhood groups to take the lead in bringing legal pressure on landlords whose substandard properties attract illegal activity. In so doing, the neighbors reclaim their neighborhood from drugs and gangs, improve the quality of life for the residents, and build a community capacity to support neighborhood revitalization projects.