Landlord involvement key in crime prevention

The meeting at North Elementary with the Sheriff and attended by 400 people concerning shootings on the Base was very valuable. However most of the articles and reactions seem the to be for actions after-the-fact instead of prevention.

“After the fact” is as follows: more deputies patrolling, stronger laws about guns, and harsher prison sentences. The Sheriff has one of the largest counties in the state with a small population which causes many miles to have to be patrolled. This means that more deputies will have to be hired, or pulled away from other parts of Grant County.

The way to really help solve the problems would involve control of the residential buildings by the owners, landlords, property managers, and tenants who should control who resides in the buildings.

In the case of the owners, landlords, and property managers: do they take applications and pull credit reports on all prospects? A credit report will list anyone who is a felon. Are the number and names of the accepted occupants known and enforced? Do the landlords provide legal, logical, safe and attractive buildings? Do the occupants control who moves with them, into their residence? If all these controls are done, the quality of the people in the area would be upgraded and it would seem that the residents, building owners, and property managers could cause the crime rate to decrease.

Clay Crook

Moses Lake