Ames police are hoping a program that met with nationally noted success in West Des Moines can work in Ames as well.

A police-facilitated "Crime-Free Housing" program is being built from the ground up by the Ames Police Department, which has been soliciting property managers to participate.

At its base, the program is designed to educate property owners on how to make their properties safe and free from repeated visits by police. However, said Community Resource Officer Harry Samms of the Ames Police Department, it is hoped that some of the managers will adopt new anti-crime lease agreements being suggested by police that would bar anyone convicted of a drug or assault offense from living at the property.

"This isn't about drinking or parties. We're looking for the unacceptable," Samms said. "People don't want to be afraid of drug dealers in their building, of sex assaults in their building."

Thus far, Samms said, there's been great interest among property managers in the program, and he estimated that about 100 would go through the training course that's being offered. However, he said, not all of these would definitely be certified by the end of the program.

"We've been very busy," he said. "We want to work with everybody. We'll do our part of the process by communicating with them. ... I think when people see the results for those already certified, they'll jump on board."

The inaugural training session, an eight-hour long seminar on Aug. 11 at Ames City Hall, will cover topics including applicant screening, rental agreements, crime prevention through environmental design and fair housing standards.

Further training phases for managers that lead to certification as a crime-free housing provider include an inspection of the rental property to assess physical security and general appearance issues, if any, and a meeting with tenants to educate them about the program, its benefits and its consequences.

Interest among property owners, Samms said, is due to the potentially positive outcomes of keeping criminals off their properties.

"They want illegal activity out of their properties too," he said. "But this will take a commitment from both of us to communicate and help each other out."

Samms said the program was one of the initiatives Police Chief Chuck Cychosz brought with him when he came to the department. Crime-free housing sat on the back burner for awhile, he said, but things like the spike within the last year of serious offenses within the city, along with the establishment of the Campustown high rise apartment buildings, caused police to look more closely at the idea.

When West Des Moines' program became nationally recognized, Samms said, the idea became a priority.

There is, however, a potential downside to the program, Samms said. If barred, individuals convicted of drug or assault offenses will "have to go somewhere." Participating properties could experience high vacancy rates while non-participants could benefit from having renters who were turned away elsewhere.

Could this happen?

"Not if we're still getting as much interest as we are now," Samms said.

He also noted that filling an apartment building with drug dealers and violent criminals would not be a good business decision for property managers.

"In a year, that building wouldn't be standing anymore," he said.

By: Luke Jennett