There is much wrong with DDES code enforcement | Letter to the Editor

Anonymous “code enforcement” reporting has been abused on this Island for years. When DDES turns people in while they are selling their homes, this can only be seen as an abuse of power. And when neighbors with a grudge (or anonymous DDES officials) sick the land police onto your property, the DDES can then report other code violations they observe, going back to the 1970s, and we can be fined thousands, or worse, have our homes torn down.

August 23, 2011 3:20 pm

Anonymous “code enforcement” reporting has been abused on this Island for years. When DDES turns people in while they are selling their homes, this can only be seen as an abuse of power. And when neighbors with a grudge (or anonymous DDES officials) sick the land police onto your property, the DDES can then report other code violations they observe, going back to the 1970s, and we can be fined thousands, or worse, have our homes torn down.

I understand that the law protects the whistle-blower, but it’s not fair that we don’t get to know who our accuser is. If we don’t allow the DDES land police onto our property, as is our Fourth Amendment right, we need to hire a lawyer fast. We can only lose by dealing with DDES.

No wonder DDES is so feared. It is not fair we are held responsible for former homeowners’ code violations. We should only be responsible for our own. Let’s call for an immediate DDES amnesty on code violations committed by previous homeowners. How about Dow Constantine changing that law? We are tired of being harassed by that agency whose salaries we pay.  

 

— Nancy Bachant