RENTAL PROPERTY FEE URGED TO FIGHT CRIME.Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer PALMDALE - Capt. Carl Deeley, commander of the Lancaster sheriff's station, said Tuesday he will ask the City Council to impose a $65 license fee on rental properties to fund an anti-crime program. Speaking to the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Board of Trade at its monthly luncheon in Palmdale, Deeley said the crime-fighting Lancaster Community Appreciation program would be funded by the rental tax. ``Rental properties represent a large part of the problem in our target area,'' Deeley said. ``The money would be used only to fund the program and to educate rental property owners. Some property owners don't even know how to go about evicting problem tenants.'' The LAN-CAP designates crime-free zones in high-crime areas. Signs are posted noting the designation, and parolees and those on probation face arrest if they are caught in areas known for drug or gang activity. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. assigns special teams to clean up the area. Deeley said nearly 38 percent of homes in the city of Lancaster The City of Lancaster (2002 population: 133,914) is a local government district with city status in Lancashire, England. Its main town is Lancaster, from which it obtained its city status. Other towns in the district include Morecambe, Heysham, Slyne, and Carnforth. are rental properties, while 67 percent of the homes in the target area, from Avenue I to Avenue H and from Fig to Beech beech, common name for the Fagaceae, a family of trees and shrubs mainly of temperate and subtropical regions in the Northern Hemisphere. The principal genera—Castanea (chestnut and chinquapin), Fagus (beech), and Quercus Avenue, are rental properties. In that target area, there have been 41 crimes against people, 49 property crimes and 131 narcotics narcotics n. 1) techinically, drugs which dull the senses. 2) a popular generic term for drugs which cannot be legally possessed, sold, or transported except for medicinal uses for which a physician or dentist's prescription is required. crimes. ``If we can affect the drug trade, we can make a significant impact on our other crimes in that area,'' Deeley said. ``The majority of crimes are related to the drug trade. These people encourage their people to bring them stolen goods in trade and to commit these crimes.'' Deeley showed graphic pictures of homes in the target area where deputies have recovered stolen guns, narcotics and even made arrests ranging from robbery suspects Noun 1. robbery suspect - someone suspected of committing robbery suspect - someone who is under suspicion to those wanted for child abuse. The pictures were an example of steps the station has been taking already, even though the program doesn't go into affect until Oct. 12. Another important part of the program is community involvement, Deeley said. Through Neighborhood Watch or acting on their own, residents can help clean up crime-plagued areas by helping sheriff's deputies in their efforts. ``You're going to get the community you're willing to work for,'' Deeley said. ``You could give me another 200 officers, and I still couldn't do as much as I could by getting the community involved.'' The LAN-CAP program works by bringing together local, county and state agencies to clean up targeted areas. Agencies include the Sheriff's Department, state parole parole (pərōl`), in criminal law, release from prison of a convict before the expiration of his term on condition that his activities be restricted and that he report regularly to an officer. officials, the county Probation Department, the state Housing Authority, the District Attorney's Office and the city code enforcement Code Enforcement is the act of enforcing a set of s, principles, or laws (especially written ones) and insuring observance of a system of norms or customs. An authority usually enforces a civil code, a set of rules, or a body of laws and compel those subject to their authority to and building and safety divisions. Greg Botonis, (661) 267-7802 gregory.botonis(at)dailynews.com |
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