Cops killed a man at my apartment building this weekend. Help?

Question

It's very infrequently that I find myself without a solution to a problem. But, has anyone had this happen to them? Who is my best ally in this situation? All I've gotten was an email from my PM saying that he will be in touch once he hears more. I'm about to call the police department. Who has some experience here?

Isaac S. · Answer

I'm so sorry, but I did not coin the  phrase.

Look at my answer and the police officers reply below mine....he pretty much backed up exactly what wisdom I gave you. If you are too sensitive or I am to harsh, well that's a different story.

Clean up, re rent, disclose that your rental is a murder scene (if required by law)....that's the wisdom.

FYI, I have landlorded and lived in warzones, so I'm not judging doing either, just observing the apparent reality, again my apologies if that is to harsh or an incorrect assumption.

Michael King · Answer

I don't understand what you are asking. Unfortunately someone died in your building at the hands of police, it sounds like the problem has been solved. If you're picking sides, I'd pick the side the cops are on, seems like the winning team there.

Karl B. · Answer

I had a tenant commit suicide and the detectives were not helpful. I attempted to contact them multiple times (I gave my contact information to a cop who was parked outside my property, called the detectives and left a message, etc.) to learn exactly what happened and never heard back from them.

Since you have a PM they can be your point of contact. Have the PM work with the family to get the tenant's things out of the apartment.

It's a fragile situation and when a tenant dies I typically wait until the funeral has completed but at the same time you don't want the PM to get complacent and have the place still full of the deceased's possessions two months later.

Meghan McCallum · Answer

@Issac S. you are ignorant. Where I live is not where I rent. Where I live has no bearing on domestic violence. I aksed for wisdom. Not ignorance. Apparently, if I wanted ignorance I should have come straight to you.

Isaac S. · Answer

They don't call it "ChiRaq" for nothing!

Clean up, re-rent! Check for any state laws that require you to disclose the death to future tenants.

This will be just one of hundreds of similar incidents for the police, it is not that big of a deal to them, just make sure no preservation of crime scene is required, there will be tape and notices if so....

FYI, your property is officially in a war zone! Good luck!

David Clay · Answer

Have you tried calling the police community liaison department to ask them how people manage situations similar to yours. They can be helpful  and you have to think that there are a lot of people who find themselves in a similar situation. Violent death in a residence, blood Needing to be cleaned, crime scene investigation time frame etc. I have some small knowledge about the aftermath of a violent death, but it is second hand to be honest.  You don’t need any details related to what happened and why. Honestly, they’re under no obligation to explain that to you. What you need to know is when can you get in there and do the cleanup. @Matthew Paul is right. Crime scene cleanup is needed if it is inside or out to clean up the blood then maintenance guy to repair any other damage afterward. Your PM’s gonna warm their money this month. It’s their job that’s what they get paid for. From cleanup to getting a new tenant in place. You only need to pay for the contractors. If your PM tries to charge you extra you should fire them when the job is done and find a new one.  or simply fire them then and there as soon as they say extra and do it yourself while looking for a new PM.  Good luck.

Matthew Paul · Answer

Well I can tell you this , the cops dont clean up the mess . Blood and guts are not their problem , you will have to get a crime scene clean up company to do that , and it isnt cheap . Any other property damages are not their problem either . If it was done in a unit , they may close it down to collect evidence for a while .

Joe M. · Answer

So what are you asking?

Jill F. · Answer

I'd call my insurance and see if they'd help cover the clean up.

Mark F. · Answer

From a law enforcement perspective maybe I can help. Ten years in the business. You say a man was killed at your apartment building. Was it in his apartment or outside and just on the property? Was he a resident I assume? The cops usually only hold a crime scene for 24 hours. After that its business as usual.

Like others have said, the cops wont clean up their mess. Make sure your PM is doing that, plus the bullet holes. Figure out who this person was. Do you have a vacancy? It might seem cruel but trust me, life moves on. You can contact the police department where it's happened. Depending how big the town you own in is will determine how they respond. Larger agencies deal with this a lot more than smaller ones and will know the steps. Smaller departments are less experienced and might fumble with how to handle you or the PM. Just cooperate and itll be over soon.

Cops killed a man at my apartment building this weekend. Help?

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