DeKalb County code enforcement push to clean up neighborhood

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - DeKalb County Code Enforcement Officers routinely get complaints about conditions at a home that sits on the corner of Woodstock and Fayetteville roads in Conley.

“The property is dilapidated. My colleagues have been here several times and it's been like this for about two years,” said Senior Code Enforcement Officer Doug Chandler.

WATCH: Code enforcement cite properties

Mosley said the owner has been repeatedly cited for deteriorating exterior conditions and open storage of trash and debris.

“You just cannot have trash and debris piling up like that. It has to be properly discarded, said Mosley as she looked over the piles of broken household appliances, fractured concrete and trash in the backyard. And the siding can't look like that,” as she pointed to melted siding that framed a broken glass window covered with wood.

But what started as a routine code enforcement stop, quickly ended with DeKalb County police making at least two arrests. They told FOX 5's Portia Bruner a man ran from the back of the home with a gun and products believed to be narcotics. The charges are still unclear, but DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond and other leaders insist crime in blighted communities is a constant problem. They gathered in southwest DeKalb County on Wednesday to announce a large scale effort to step-up enforcement--especially with property owners who have become repeat offenders.

 “This is about keeping DeKalb beautiful. This has to stop. It's effecting property values and hurting our industrial and residential communities,” said Thurmond.

“It's just not ok to pile all kinds of trash and debris on top of a property. There are proper ways to dispose of it and our code enforcement officers are going to help these property owners better understand the law,” said Commissioner Kathie Gannon.

Code enforcement officers issued more than 150 citations Wednesday and 40 "Final Notices" to repeat offenders. The stepped up enforcement measures continue Thursday at properties in southwest DeKalb County.