County looks at public safety issues surrounding foreclosures

BARSTOW — A vacant house can become a hangout spot for bored teenagers, a target for thieves and an eyesore.

With the county recorder having registered 49 deeds of foreclosure in the Barstow area between December 2007 and February 2008, according to real estate research firm DataQuick Information Services, there may be 49 more sites opened to various types of crime.

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to commission a study of the effects of foreclosures on public safety in the county.

The county Sheriff’s Department and the Office of Legislative Affairs, along with other offices that may include the code enforcement and public health department, will conduct the study and bring their results back to the county supervisors, according to David Zook, spokesman for Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt.

The total number of foreclosures in the county for 2007 was 8,000, he said. In the first two months of 2008, the county saw 3,300 foreclosures.
“There have been increasing reports of metal theft, especially in regard to abandoned homes,” Zook said.

County staff is reviewing legislation that could increase the penalties for certain types of metal theft, he said. Attorneys for the county are also reviewing a model ordinance that would increase the reporting requirements on metal recycling companies.

Corporal Bill Doemner with the Barstow sheriff’s station said vacant buildings do present a crime and public safety issue in Barstow.

“Juveniles hang out there, not to mention you can have public nuisance problems if they’re falling into disrepair, become grafittied and are not maintained,” he said. “That’s more of a code enforcement issue, but for us it’s a problem as far as inviting criminal elements to hang out.”
Empty buildings also provide an easy target for thieves, he said.

However, Doemner said has not seen significant public safety effects from the local foreclosures yet, because many of the houses have only been vacant for a short period of time.

“It will become more of a problem as the houses become more dilapidated,” he said.

The departments conducting the study in San Bernardino County are expected to report back to the board of county supervisors on May 13, Zook said.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4123 or abby_sewell@link.freedom.com