Powell: “Martinsburg had made great strides” with Drug House Ordinance

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — U.S. Attorney Bill Powell is applauding recent work by the Martinsburg Police Department.

William “Bill” Powell

“Job number one for law enforcement is the protection of our citizens. Martinsburg has made great strides in this regard,” Powell said. “Violence and other crimes often go hand in hand with drug operations.”

The Martinsburg Drug House Ordinance was enacted in 2016. 59 drug houses in the city have been successfully shutdown, according to a recent report.

“Violent crime has dropped by 51 percent; property crime by 35 percent; drug calls of all kinds by 52 percent; public nuisance by 34 percent and overdose calls by 54 percent,” Richards said during a recent interview on MetroNews “Talkline”. “Not only is it making a difference for who lives in that house but it’s also making a tremendous public safety difference for that entire block, cleaning it up, giving the decent citizens a better quality of life.”

The Martinsburg Drug House Ordinance states:

“Under the provisions of the Drug House Ordinance, property owners are subject to fines if they fail to take appropriate action to abate the problem after 30 days of notification. The Order of Abatement announced today contains compliance stipulations including: evicting the problem tenants, other actions to prevent the recurrence of illegal drug activity, and mandating criminal background checks on future tenants to insure they are “free from convictions for prostitution; illegal gambling; illegal possession, storage, or delivery of or trafficking in controlled substances, or other illegal drug activity.”

– Martinsburg PD

The numbers in the most recent report also show 89 arrests with the closings of 59 houses. 80 of those arrests are on felony drug charges.

“We must remain constantly vigilant for those who seek to have our neighborhoods made part of their illegal activities,” Powell added. “This is especially true for landlords who have the ability to identify those who pose a danger to us and our children. We are proud of our partnership with Chief Richards and the law enforcement community to rid our communities of drug houses.”