Welcome to the new blog portion of my website. I'm going to be discussing issues that arise in code enforcement and invite comments and ideas from you. In today's difficult economic environment, we're all struggling with how to perform our jobs with decreasing resources. We're being confronted with new challenges daily due to the foreclosure crisis (ever try to find a live person to speak with about pipes bursting in subzero weather in a foreclosed house with mold growing so bad the residence can't be salvaged?) In my practice as a municipal prosecutor, I deal with these questions daily. I'm also interested in how effective code enforcement can reduce crime in a community and I will be writing about that issue. While I can't give legal advice on this blog, I will be pointing out interesting cases that may be useful to you.

Archive

Archive for October, 2009

Trash House and Tragedy

October 9th, 2009
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There’s a sad tale from Jacksonville, Florida about a woman who was found dead under 8 feet of trash in her home.  http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/national_world&id=7054060 The rescue workers had difficulty locating the body because of the trash.  There’s an ongoing debate about how aggressive inspectors should be in enforcing the property maintenance code for interior violations.  Should a person be allowed to live in a “trash” house if he or she is not harming anyone else or should inspectors seek compliance against the wishes of the occupant? I think this case points out the dangers of ignoring these kinds of cases.  As I’ve said before, I’ve had some success by having the court issue an order for a cleanup with an inspector monitoring the progress.   Don’t we have an obligation to use the law to help people who because of a hoarding disorder can’t help themselves?

Posted by Linda Pieczynski Category(ies): Code Enforcement, property maintenance Tag(s):

Best Practices in Monitoring Vacant and Foreclosed Buildings

October 1st, 2009
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Tom Pahnke, an inspector for Manhattan, IL, commented on my recent post about people selling things out of their foreclosed homes.  His town has a best practices procedure that includes the police department in monitoring these homes.  He even notified an attorney for a lender when he noticed people offering items for sale on Craig’s List.  The attorney was able to get a restraining order.  Tom said he routinely looks at Craig’s List and local papers to see what’s going on.  Tom has generously offered to share a copy of his handout/presentation with anyone who’d like to contact him.  He can be reached at  tpahnke@VillageOfManhattan.org.

Posted by Linda Pieczynski Category(ies): Code Enforcement, Foreclosure, Law Enforcement and Codes Tag(s):

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Disclaimer

This blog site is published by and reflects the personal views of Linda Pieczynski, in her individual capacity. It does not necessarily represent the views of her law firm or her clients, and is not sponsored or endorsed by them. The purpose of this blog site is to assist in dissemination of information about legal issues relating to building code enforcement, but no representation is made about the accuracy of the information. The information contained in this blog site is provided only as general information for education purposes, and blog topics may or may not be updated subsequent to their initial posting.

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