Thursday, February 10, 2005

Startling fact: 50% of drug labs are found on rental property

"If we had a brothel move into town, people would close it down instantly. If we had an X-rated movie house come, it'd be gone within a week. But this has been here. It is a monster. We didn't know what kind of monster it was."

The Rev. Jon Pearce of the First Baptist Church in Crothersville, Indiana, on methamphetamine as a factor in the death of Katie Collman, as quoted in “Too Late for Katie, Town Tackles a Drug's Scourge,” by Jodi Wilgoren of the New York Times. Registration is required to view the article.

Wilgoren writes:

“Katie (Collman’s) Jan. 25 disappearance, and the Feb. 2 arrest of an unemployed high school dropout, have shaken this small town out of silence about the scourge of methamphetamine.

“Like many similar communities across the nation's midsection, Crothersville, 40 miles north of Louisville and with a population of 1,541, has seen methamphetamine steadily seep into its streets.”

Taking a temporary break from contemplating the dangers posed to the community by New Albany DVD, NA Confidential perused the web and found the following checklist, or variants of it, on several sites devoted to landlords and rental property.

***Preventing Drug Labs on Your Property - Tips for Landlords

Did you know?
  • Property owners are responsible for meth lab cleanup costs
  • 50% of drug labs are found on rental property.
What's the cost? - When drug criminals operate out of rental property, owners pay a high price ...
  • Loss of rent
  • Decline in property values
  • Damage of property
  • Civil penalties
  • Dangerous and threatening tenants
  • Resentful and angry neighbors
  • Loss of other valued tenants
By making small changes you can avoid big problems

At the time of rental application ...
  • Application should be filled out completely
  • Conduct background checks
  • Rental history
  • Credit report
  • Employment history
  • Criminal background
  • Meet every adult and require picture identification
  • Be aware of renter's appearance and behaviors
Visit property often and be aware of lab indicators...
  • Blackened windows, drawn curtains
  • Frequent visitors at all hours
  • Paranoid, odd behavior
  • Extensive security
  • Excessive garbage specific to meth manufacturing
  • Chemical odors
  • Absentee landlords should have an agent, friend, or relative check the property on your behalf.
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1 comment:

  1. ShineBox5:58 PM

    Fox news just did a piece on how meth labs are creeping into small town America. Of course they made sure to mention how easy it is to obtain a meth recepie for all of those zit-faced entrepreneurs out there. Meth is bad,bad news. Just look at anyone whose used it over 10 years, their sick and old looking. The worst thing about meth is that it causes people to commit extreme acts of violence due to psychosis from sleep deprivation. I'm in the process of purchasing a rental property. If I suspect a meth lab, their gone.

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