The report notes that Green Bay City Ordinance Chapter 28 allows the municipality to bill the owner of a property for excess police services. Nuisances covered by the ordinance include harassment, disorderly conduct, prostitution, drug offenses, noise complaints, and warrant service. Repeated nuisances at a property can substantially impact quality of life for nearby residents.
The authors examined calls for service at properties with chronic nuisance enforcement to determine if notifying owners of the potential for billing was associated with a reduction in calls for police service. The analysis found that owner notification is associated with reduced calls for service.
The best use of the chronic nuisance ordinance, the authors noted, may be as a credible threat. That is, the credible threat of chronic nuisance enforcement can be a powerful enticement for property owners to partner with the Green Bay Police Department on crime prevention and nuisance abatement efforts.
Dr. Payne and Michelle Arneson presented these findings to the Green Bay, Wisconsin Police Department via Skype last November. They also presented these findings at the American Society of Criminology annual meeting in Chicago on November 14-17. They discussed, "Is Knowing Half the Battle? Improving Place Management through Chronic Nuisance Notification."
