New Huntsville program takes aim at crime at rental properties - whnt.com

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Have you ever heard of the Blue Star program? It's taken off in 45 states, and Alabama is soon to be the 46th with a new initiative in Huntsville.

The Blue Star Crime Free Multi-Housing Program is a three-phase program run by Huntsville Police. It's designed to make it safer to live at rental properties, and to make it easier for owners and property managers to keep drugs and other illegal activity away.

It kicked off Wednesday with a seminar in which 36 landlords and property managers began the certification process.

That's the first step: education about crime prevention and safety tips. There's also a site assessment to ensure properties meet minimum requirements, and resident meeting before a property can be certified.

You may soon start to see signs where properties have become certified. As they're awarded certification, you'll also see a list of Blue Star properties here.

Alethia Roberts, who manages Pinehurst Apartments on Pulaski Pike, said she's excited to enter the program.

"It's for prevention," she said. "I want my community and my residents to know we are looking out for them."

She's taken a lot in so far, and is eager to see it work.

"I learned about fire code, I learned more about things that happen with crime and how to prevent it. How to educate my residents more to see the things they can do to help themselves as well," she said.

Police say this program has the potential to reduce crime, encourage people to rent from known Blue Star properties, and improve residents' sense of personal safety.

But the partnership with the city, police, managers and residents also has added bonuses for investigators.

"We found that when we work together with the management, we can drastically cut down on the calls for service at those apartment complexes," said HPD Sgt. Jonathan Ware. "That's a benefit to us so we can focus our attention elsewhere."

Roberts added that crime can be costly for a landlord. Thats another reason Pinehurst wants to do something about it.

"Vandalism, thefts, break-ins are very expensive," she explained.

"Every time a door gets kicked in, they have to replace that door. Anytime somebody breaks something in the parking lot, they are responsible for it," commented Ware. "Not only that, but if an apartment complex gets a reputation for being high crime, it's often hard for them to come back from that."

The idea is for the Blue Star program to take off in the Rocket City, and make it a safer and more cohesive place to live, work, and play.

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