As Topeka police officer Derek Parrett stands in the 700 block of S.W. Buchanan, he points to two homes on the west side of the street that are being spruced up.
Representatives from city departments have gone house by house, block by block, assessing neighborhood needs through the Team Up to Clean Up initiative, which launched in May.
“We’re out there shaking hands, talking to people,” said Parrett, who is the team liaison for the Topeka Police Department. The police department, fire department, code compliance and other departments contribute to Team Up to Clean Up.
Parrett, who is a community police officer in central Topeka, said the department is focused on five areas: contacting local businesses to carry out security assessments; developing public service announcements about public safety programs; identifying vacant houses and contacting their owners; removing abandoned vehicles; and passing along information at neighborhood improvement association meetings.
Home owners who aren’t in compliance are issued a warning and can give consent to the police so they can enter and address issues like squatters. Home owners are also given information about community resources like Habitat for Humanity.
(Read more: Local – The Topeka Capital-Journal)