Over the past few years, Peachtree Corners has been working to enhance security throughout the city. These enhancements have included the installation of license plate reading cameras, enhanced security camera placement on city property, the creation of a police sub-station at Town Center, and increasing our partnership with the Gwinnett County Police Department.
One of the programs that the City participates in with the GCPD is the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program (CFMHP). This free program, implemented by GCPD in 2012, is offered in partnership with the GCPD to property owners, property managers, residents, and law enforcement personnel to work towards the elimination of crime in multi-family properties.
The City believes so much in this program, that participation in the CFMPH is included as a zoning condition for all new multi-family and mixed-use developments. While there are some older complexes that predate implementation of the program, the City, in partnership with GCPD, continues to encourage those properties to participate.
The CFMHP has a goal of reducing the number of violent crimes and calls-for-service in multi-family properties. The three-part program is designed to be easy and effective in reducing the incidence of crime on rental properties while maintaining a tenant-friendly approach.
The phases of the program are a required seminar, certification of a property’s safety controls, and an introduction of the program to the tenants via community awareness training.
For the first phase, an 8-hour seminar is presented by GCPD to property owners, managers, and in some cases residents. The seminar includes such topics as crime prevention theory, the benefits of resident screening, lease agreements and eviction issues, working smarter with police, fire, and life safety training, and community awareness. Additionally, the seminar covers issues relating to gangs, drug activity, and crime prevention.
Following the seminar, the rental property must complete a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Survey (CPTED). This survey will allow GCPD to determine and certify that a rental property has met all the requirements for tenant safety. Requirements that must be met include compliance with the following:
■ Minimum door, window, and lock standards
■ Minimum exterior lighting standards
■ Key Control procedures
■ Landscape maintenance standards
Following the certification of the property, GCPD offers the final phase of the program, which is the introduction of the program to the tenants through community awareness training. The completion of this phase allows for full certification and permits the location to include signage of completion of the program on the property, grants management use of the program’s logo on advertisements, and lists the property as certified on the GCPD CFMHP webpage.
After a property is fully certified, a multi-unit family development must host one safety-related crime prevention meeting with the residents per year to maintain their active membership in the Crime Free Multi-Housing program. This certificate expires every 18 months unless it is renewed following compliance with Phases I and II.
Participation in the program offers many benefits to multi-family developments. In some properties where the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program has been implemented, there has been a reduction in crime of up to 70 percent. Additionally, the program increases safety, helps to lower maintenance and repair costs, increases property values, and provides for a stable and more satisfied tenant base. This in turn leads to an increased demand for rental units within the development by improving the reputation of the complex.
We are all aware that when the rate of crime increases in any area, neighborhoods suffer, and landlords, tenants, and our City pay a high price. High rates of crime lead to a large decline in property values, increased incidents of property damage, potential civil penalties on property owners, loss of valued residents, and increased resentment and anger between neighbors and property managers.
As we continue to move into the future, the City will continue to focus on the health and safety of our residents and businesses. We are currently working on additional partnerships and programs that will help publicize that crime and criminals have no place in Peachtree Corners.
