(La Porte, IN) - The city of La Porte is looking to crack down on rental home tenants engaged in constant criminal behavior.  An ordinance introduced at Tuesday night’s La Porte City Council meeting would condemn rental properties whose tenants draw a response from police on a regular basis.

La Porte Code Enforcement Director Jeff Batchelor said there’s just a low percentage of problem tenants but the amount of emergency calls generated by their behavior is placing a strain on the short staffed police department.

Under the proposed ordinance, police would have to respond three times in 60 days for a rental unit to become classified as a nuisance property.  Five more calls in six months after the nuisance property designation would result in the tenants being forced to leave from the property being condemned.  Mayor Tom Dermody said the condemnation would be lifted when the landford replaces them with new tenants.

The city council is expected to vote on the measure at its next meeting scheduled for September 21.