Mars police chief suggests nuisance property ordinance
MARS — Borough Police Chief Mark Lint suggested during a council meeting Monday, March 17, that the borough implement a nuisance property ordinance.
His suggestion was prompted, in part, by his department’s recent experiences being called to the Martian Arms complex on Hook Street, which consists of eight Section 8 apartments.
Lint described two domestic incidents at the complex that his department responded to in a two-week period, including one in which he received backup from Adams Township Police.
In one instance, a man kicked in the bathroom door, and in another, an elderly woman was beaten by her caregiver, Lint said. Residents of the complex have taken notice of the incidents and police responses, he continued.
“I have had reports from residents who live in Martian Arms that some of them are unhappy with what’s going on over there,” he said. “Some of them have installed Ring cameras outside their doors inside the building to be able to see what's going on and who's outside. And some people are unhappy with having to call 911, because they can hear these domestics going on inside.”
Lint pointed to the borough of Carnegie in Allegheny County, where he used to work, as a potential model for a nuisance properties ordinance.
“We had to create a disruptive conduct ordinance that included disruptive conduct reports,” Lint said.
Carnegie’s ordinance works on a “three-strike” system, he said. After a tenant commits a third “disruptive conduct” offense within a 12-month period, their landlord has 10 work days after being notified of the offense to evict the tenant, or lose their occupancy permit. The ordinance was adopted in 2008.
While no action was taken on the proposal, Lint passed out copies of Carnegie’s ordinance, along with other similar such ordinances, to borough council members for review.
