County squad descends on blighted complex

Wednesday, April 21, 1999 | 11:04 a.m.

The newly created County Multi-Agency Response Team swarmed a blighted apartment complex Tuesday morning, issuing warnings to be sent to absentee owners that if they don't clean up their property, it could be closed.

Between 30 and 40 members of the team descended upon the Puebla Estates at Lamont Street and San Miguel Avenue about 8:30 a.m. and spent four hours issuing warnings.

One of the purposes of such sweeps is to root out drug problems, but no arrests were made.

"What we will do now is come back and do our law enforcement maintenance, then do a cleanup," Metro Police Officer Ed Schumacher said.

Schumacher, in whose northeast district the complex is located, is one of 17 community policing coordinators assigned to the team, which is made up of county agencies, utility companies and fire and police departments.

This is the second sweep made by the team since it went into operation last month. The first target was an apartment complex at Palo Verde Drive and Twain Avenue.

"Everyone is now working together. The response has been awesome," said Officer Tony Longo, another policing coordinator. "Everybody has said this has been needed for a long time."

He said Tuesday's sweep was done because the complex has deteriorated so badly that it has created crime and health problems.

"The criminal element is here -- prostitution, narcotics, shootings, stabbings and meth labs," Longo said. "And there is debris on top of the roofs that could be blown off by a good windstorm. There is exposed wiring, broken windows, abandoned vehicles and railings that are coming off the second floor."

Longo said there are 280 apartments in the complex, which is made up of 70 fourplexes.

"A lot of the residents came out and thanked us," Longo said.

There are between 50 and 60 absentee owners, many of whom live out of state. Longo said the owners have ignored numerous warnings to care for the property.

"There are big problems and they refuse to bring their property up to code," he said.

Schumacher said tenants will be recruited to help clean up the apartments.

"They live there so they need to take some responsibility for the cleanup," Schumacher said, adding the county will provide hammers, nails, paint and other supplies.

There have been several attempts over the years to clean up the Puebla Estates complex, Schumacher said.

Longo said there will be similar sweeps at other blighted areas.