lehighvalleylive com

Renters in Easton PA face mandatory eviction after a police raid under a proposed law

Easton renters who allow serious crimes in their homes would face a mandatory eviction under a potential ordinance before Easton City Council.

The new ordinance, introduced by councilman Frank Pintabone at the council’s committee meeting on Tuesday, March 26, would force landlords to evict tenants who allow serious crimes to take place in their homes, crimes including drug dealing, illegal gun possession, human trafficking and possession of child pornography.

The mandatory eviction would be triggered by the execution of a search warrant based on months of investigation, a judge approving the search, and suspected criminal activity found at the home, Pintabone said.

Landlords who fail to evict their tenants would have their residential rental license suspended, and the property would not be eligible for rent, according to the bill.

Tenants would have five days to vacate the property. After that, the eviction process would become immediately effective, Pintabone said. The city would maintain a database accessible to all licensing landlords, listing all evicted tenants and their charges. So, a troublesome tenant wouldn’t be able to rent elsewhere in Easton without the new landlord knowing about the criminal charges, Pintabone said.

Chief of Easton Police Carl Scalzo Jr. said the law would hold landlords accountable for their tenants and keep communities safer.

“With the dealing of drugs comes violent crime, and no one wants to live in an environment where there’s violent crime,” Scalzo said. “I think we all want these neighborhoods to be actually safe, and just a pleasurable experience for all of us.”

He said that while most leases don’t tolerate criminal activity, this amendment will guarantee support and assistance from the police department to remove tenants from their property. Scalzo also predicts the new law, the database and the risk of losing a home will deter individuals from committing crimes.

“The goal of this is not to put people out or make people homeless,” Pintabone said. He said the goal is to make Easton safer.

Pintabone said he has spoken to a number of landlords, residents and officials who support the amendment. Council members Ken Brown and Crystal Rose said they support it.

“We lose good neighbors and good people when there are irresponsible landlords who don’t address some of those issues,” Rose said. “I don’t want to see good people leave the city.”

Councilwoman Taiba Sultana questioned the amendment. She said a required eviction and entry into the database are added penalties on top of criminal court penalties and could prevent first-time offenders from finding homes and a “second opportunity” to live their lives.

“Everybody deserves a second chance. If somebody pays the consequences and now that person is trying to live a good life, now we are, as legislators, putting up barriers,” Sultana said.

She said the database should not constitute a life-long ban, but should only be posted for a certain period of time.

Scalzo said the eviction is a consequence of the criminal activity. He said the database is only a resource for landlords. The city can’t tell landlords who they can and can’t rent to. The goal is to show the intolerance the city has for criminal activity, he said.

“An ordinance of this nature will help us continue to eradicate not only the drug dealing, which we want to get out of our city, but also the violent crime itself,” Scalzo said.

Chelsea Kun may be reached at ckun@lehighvalleylive.com.

I predict that the database the city is going to create will be deemed unconstitutional.

Also,

"triggered by the execution of a search warrant based on months of investigation, a judge approving the search, and suspected criminal activity found at the home"

There's a reason the person is called a suspect at this point, they aren't guilty in this country until they are convicted.

It sounds pretty good to me, if they will actually issue the eviction .

"Landlords who fail to evict their tenants would have their residential rental license suspended, and the property would not be eligible for rent, according to the bill."

Lets start at the Top -

Who should be held responsible for Open-Boarders,

Repeat Offenders,Early Release Criminals,

or the Criminals that see no jail time at all.

It's a trap for LLs. They have this in Rochester NY. The infamous "point system." Result? the perps weren't punished, only the property owners. Now you see blocks with many wooden stakes in the front of lots where houses once stood.

This doesn't make since to me.

So, there will be a search warrant granted by a judge, months of investigation, and yet no arrest of the criminals?

Not only no arrest of the criminals, but the LL is in trouble?