Police have rounded up nearly 40 people in the past few weeks thanks to operation crack-hammer.  Now, Elmira’s police chief is asking landlords to step up in the fight against crime

“Absentee landlords contribute to these problems by not screening their tenants but its not the landlord that’s doing these things, they’re not selling the drugs it’s the occupants” says Elmira Chief of Police, Scott Drake.

Elmira police say one way to keep drugs out of the community is for landlords to run criminal background checks on perspective tenants. West side land lord Bill Neugent says it’s just good business.

” If you’re bringing down the community in the process of running your business then what you’re doing is creating a bad environment for your business,” says Neugent, owner of Horizon Properties.

Bill operates his business under two rules, first he never rents a building he wouldn’t live in himself. Second, he doesn’t rent to someone he wouldn’t want as his own neighbor.

“You can’t just be willing to accept the first person that comes up with money in their hands,” says Neugent.

Criminal background checks cost $8 to $10.  But police chief Scott drake says the mere thought of a background check turns bad tenants away.

“Just give them the form and say I need to have this filled out or I can’t rent to you, and they won’t sign it if they’ve had problems in the past,” says Drake.

Some criminals rent under someone else’s name.  Neugent requires everyone over 18 to have their name on the lease and get a criminal background check. He says he hasn’t had to evict a single Elmira tenant, thanks to criminal background checks.

“So if I screen 4, 5, 6 tenants, I’m spending 100 bucks to find out what kind of people are moving in. And on the back end I’m not spending money to evict someone, doing all the repair work that probably comes along with irresponsible tenants. Losing and chasing out other tenants because I’ve let somebody bad move in,” says Neugent.