Motel trespass program helps curb crime

SHORELINE – According to police, gangs, prostitution and drugs have been a problem at Aurora Avenue N. motels in Shoreline.

But crime at the city’s motels is being curbed considerably during the past year, because of the revitalization of the city’s motel trespass program.

“We were seeing gang members, prostitution and drugs at our motels,” said Shoreline Police Chief Denise Pentony. “So we implemented a problem-solving project, reemphasized the program, and our calls have decreased 50 percent in the past year.”

The program’s purpose is to prevent crime along Aurora Avenue N. by preventing criminals from using motels as a base of operations, Pentony said.

If a person is banned from one Shoreline motel, they are also banned for up to one year from any other local motels. All three of Shoreline’s motels are involved in the program, so there is no “safe haven” for criminals, Pentony said.

Motels display a sign stating they participate in the program, and give police authority to remove individuals from their premises. The person is given an admonishment that lists the participating motels. If the person visits one of the motels, they would be subject to arrest for trespassing.

Quest Inn has seen a significant decrease in crime because of the program, said the motel’s owner, John Chang, who is also a City Council member. In 1999, there were 146 police calls to the motel. In 2000, there were 107 calls, in 2001 there were 125 and in 2002, 65. So far this year, there have been 29 calls.

“I have seen crime go down significantly at my hotel. It’s a huge difference,” Chang said.

Before this program was in place, arrests were rare when officers were called because they had not witnessed the crime. It’s virtually impossible to catch suspects in the act of prostitution or drug dealing so it became a burden for the hotel managers and owners, Chang said.

“With this program, we have a warning notice posted in every room that says any suspicious activity is subject to immediate eviction. So now, we have some authority, like a hammer in our hand,” Chang said. “We can say ‘you’ve been warned, look at the sign.’”

A manager with Shoreline Motel, who asked not to be named, said she refuses to rent to questionable tenants, and uses the program to back her up.

“I don’t rent to the obvious — so I don’t have drug problems or hookers, it’s not that important to me to rent to them,” she said. “I’ve been managing this motel since January, and before I came, the police were in here 15 to 20 times a day.

“Now, all I have to do is tell them, as a new manager, I am enforcing the no-trespass program. The police can only do so much, it’s up to whoever is renting the rooms and I don’t tolerate it.”

Pentony said the motel owner’s cooperation makes the program work.

“When you are a small business owner, you are affecting your business by screening renters to fight criminal activity because you can rent to anyone,” Pentony said. “So it really shows the integrity of the business owner to cooperate with this program and screen renters to fight crime.”

Chang added, “Crime is not something we, the motel, initiate. It is something we as a community all face.

“Motels are an ideal place for criminals to land and sleep. That’s why having police check motel parking lots for stolen cars and outstanding warrants and helping property owners evict suspicious activity is important, and the motel owners and managers can be an extension of our police force, serving as their eyes and ears.”