New Bedford Police Send Notices to Property Owners Ahead of “Problem Properties” Enforcement

The City of New Bedford has sent notices to nearly two dozen property owners, in an effort to give fair notice as the City begins enforcing the "Problem Properties" ordinance.

The ordinance, in effect as of this past April, allows the City to designate a property as a "problem property" once there have been eight valid criminal complaints associated with the property during a twelve-month period.

The New Bedford Police Department issued notices to property owners Monday, after assessing police response calls as if they had been subject to the ordinance from March of 2014 to March of 2015. Notices were also sent to the presidents of the banks that hold the mortgages on those properties.

In a written statement, Police Chief David Provencher said the recipients of the notices had police visit their properties at least sixteen times for valid criminal complaints during that period. Provencher says the effort is to provide "ample notice to landlords so that they may take action to prevent their properties from being designated as problem properties."