Thursday, August 28, 2008
District Attorney's Office Notifies Thousands of Hickory Hill Residents About Drug Dealer Eviction
MEMPHIS, TN – Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons announced Tuesday that the D.A.’s Office had blanketed part of the Hickory Hill community with information on how to remove drug dealers from rental properties in Shelby County.
Last week, the District Attorney’s Office mailed thousands of Drug Dealer Eviction Program brochures to residents in the 38115 zip code, which is centered at the intersection of Winchester Road and Hickory Hill Road. Postage and printing costs were paid for with drug forfeiture funds.
“Law-abiding citizens should not have to live next to drug dealers. We want citizens to be armed with information on how to take back their neighborhoods from the drug traffickers who make their streets unsafe,” said District Attorney Gibbons.
The Drug Dealer Eviction Program is one of two primary tools the D.A.’s Office uses to remove alleged drug offenders from residential properties. Under the program, if a drug offense occurs in a rental property and involves drug possession with intent to sell, the violator is subject to eviction in addition to being prosecuted. Once a landlord receives notice of illegal drug activity, he or she may proceed with an eviction while maintaining contact with the D.A.’s Office. If the landlord does not take action, the law allows the D.A.’s Office to proceed with the eviction. The D.A.’s Office also uses the state’s nuisance law to close down major drug houses, some of which are rental properties.
Since 1997, the D.A.’s Office has successfully evicted 2,267 drug dealers from rental properties across Shelby County and has used nuisance actions to close down more than 100 drug houses.
In addition to the brochures, the D.A.’s Office also has door-hangers and signs that may be used by neighborhood groups and apartment managers to encourage citizens to call in tips to Crime Stoppers about drug dealing at rental properties. If you’d like to help stop drug crime in your neighborhood, please call the D.A.’s Office at 545-3433. |
Posted on Tuesday, February 05, 2008 (Archive on Tuesday, February 12, 2008)
Posted by jdonnals Contributed by jdonnals
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