The City of Orlando yesterday, January 26th embarked in a major way, on the first phase of the Orlando Crime Free Multi-Housing (CFMH) program, a state-of-the art, crime prevention program designed to reduce crime, drugs and gangs on apartment properties.
About 115 property managers from Orlando and other cities and counties participated in a training seminar delivered by the Orlando Police Department (OPD) Community Relations Unit, which focused on how apartment community managers can be involved in making their communities safer.
One of the key components is to ensure that each property includes a clause in their lease that provides the option for eviction of a tenant that becomes involved in criminal activity. This option, of course, gives the management great leverage in curtailing potential criminal behavior on their properties.
A second phase of the CFMH program entails providing Orlando Police Department Certification to rental properties that have met the minimum security requirements, as set forth under the program. The third phase of the program aims to ensure that managers and tenants stay active and involved by meeting regularly with their respective OPD Community Relations Officers.
In laying the basis for the “kick off” of the CFMH today, OPD had previously held meetings with Chip Tatum, Director of Government Affairs-Apartment Association of Greater Orlando, whose association represents 117,000 apartments in 450 communities throughout Central Florida. The OPD team also met with Lori Trainer, Vice President of Customer and Public Relations/Concord Management, the largest apartment management company in the U.S., and OCSO Lieutenant Mark McCarthy, Crime Prevention Commander.
On Wednesday, January 27th, OPD Community Relations personnel will sensitize police officers on the CFMH.
The CFMH program was successfully developed at the Mesa Arizona Police Department in 1992 and has spread to nearly 2,000 cities in 44 states in the U.S. The program is also in 5 Canadian Provinces, Mexico, England, Finland, Japan, Russia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Puerto Rico.
