This is a driveby, but not one like in gangster movies, but one to hunt for violations of the city’s nuisance ordinance in Opportunity Clean Sweep.

In the car are Donald Tart and Rick Gabriel, Tart the city’s minimum housing code officer and Gabriel the public works safety officer. Following them in his patrol car is police Officer Tommy Massey.

A dilapidated shed.

On the ninth day of Clean Sweep the officers, in just under two hours, will have inspected 25 houses and yards and will note at least 35 violations of the nuisance ordinance.

They have already inspected 45 streets, starting in South Rosemary and have sent 98 letters addressing the violations. “Usually, there’s more than one violation per house,” Gabriel said, a worksheet in hand to jot down the infractions. “Junk is the main culprit so far. Following that is noxious growth.”

Noxious growth is a safety issue, Gabriel said. “It grows up in the back alleys. It’s places where people can hide and wait to rob you or mug you. It has a safety factor.”

Junk is another problem and the rule that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure does not apply during Clean Sweep.

That applies to indoor furniture used outside and there’s a reason it’s forbidden, Tart said. “Rodents can climb in couches. Snakes can pop out.”

Going at a slow pace down streets and alleys helps the officers see things they normally pass every day, Gabriel said. While it’s not the same as last year when the walkthroughs were done, the officers see dilapidated sheds, unsafe fencing and junk. “We had a lot of tonnage last year.”

Noxious growth and unsafe fencing.

The need for Clean Sweep, said Gabriel, is simple. “It’s about beautification and getting rid of some of the blight.”

Said Tart: “Protecting the value of property is important as well.”

The officers are not always welcomed, Gabriel said. Last year, “One man likened us to the Gestapo, that we should not be on private property, what they do on their property is their business.”

In city government, it doesn’t work that way and nuisances in one person’s yard can lead to problems for neighbors.

It’s like appliances left outside, Tart said earlier in the inspections. “Other than nuisances, kids can get trapped and that includes washing machines.”

When the inspections are done, the work is not over. “When I go back to the office I have to research every address to find out who the owner is,” Gabriel said.

If a violation is noted a first letter goes out, giving the homeowner or property owner 10 days to correct the problem.

“We go back and see if the problem is taken care of,” said Gabriel.

If it hasn’t, a second letter goes out. “The second letter is worded a little more strictly.”

That letter adds the cost of removal plus a $250 administrative fee which is charged as a lien against the property.

“One individual can take 30 days to process and multiple visits,” Gabriel said. “It’s a lengthy process.”

The one thing Gabriel wants residents to understand, he said, “Is the city is not on a witch hunt. We’re trying to do something for the population to make it safer.”