(By RYAN SKAITH)
The City of St. Joseph is centralizing its efforts to improve neighborhood safety by moving property code enforcement into the St. Joseph Police Department.
The realignment is a direct response to a community survey conducted last year, in which residents identified neighborhood appearance and public safety as top priorities. City officials said the move aims to improve coordination and efficiency by addressing the link between property blight and crime.
“This realignment allows us to focus more holistically on quality-of-life issues,” Police Chief Paul Luster said. “Code officers will be looking beyond individual properties to address broader neighborhood concerns, helping us create cleaner, safer, and more welcoming areas for everyone.”
The Property Maintenance Division, formerly housed within the Planning and Community Development Department, consists of four code enforcement officers, a manager, and a clerk. The team is responsible for identifying violations on private property, including overgrown weeds, trash, diseased trees, and stagnant water.
As part of the transition, the division has moved from City Hall to the Law Enforcement Center at 501 Faraon St. Residents seeking in-person assistance—including right-of-entry requests for yellow-tagged structures or filing code complaints—should now visit the police department lobby.
The transition also includes a visual rebranding. Code enforcement officers will operate newly branded vehicles and wear uniforms designed to increase visibility during neighborhood patrols. To improve transparency, the police department will share enforcement statistics and “before-and-after” cleanup highlights on its social media channels.
While the police department now handles general property maintenance, some responsibilities remain with the Planning and Community Development Department. That office will continue to manage substandard housing, dangerous buildings, and structures “red-tagged” due to fire, weather, or vehicle damage.
Residents can contact the code enforcement clerk at 816-271-4620 for questions or to speak with an inspector.
