Butler City Council has tabled a motion that institutes a procedure for reporting disorderly houses and seeking help from landlords in the process.
Butler Mayor Ben Smith:
“I would feel much more at ease if we were to put that we would institute this procedure based on the review and support of the district attorney and the magistrate, just to make sure that we’re in line and that they’re going to be supportive,” Smith said during Thursday’s Butler City Council meeting.
Landlords could be asked to give police permission to enter residences in the city when drug activity is suspected to be taking place.
According to solicitor Tom Breth, this action is legal as long as the tenants are notified of the agreement when they sign the lease for the property. Further clarification could be necessary since this procedure is not a blanket license for law enforcement to rummage through the belongings of tenants.
“It is intended to be a cooperative relationship between landlords and law enforcement in placing their tenants on notice that if you’re going to engage in illegal activities, I’m going to work with law enforcement- through either a search warrant or through my permission- for them to access my building and my property in a legal manner to determine whether there is illegal activities. I think everybody can agree on that,” Breth said.
Landlords will not be required to participate in this program but they do submit annual reports to the city treasurer about the identities of adults living in rental units. Butler City Council previously introduced an ordinance to combat drug problems by amending the definition of a disorderly house to include ones where illegal drug activity is occurring.
Written By: Ryan Saeler for the Butler Radio Network
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