PEORIA -- The Peoria Housing Authority Board at its March 25 meeting OKed a new trespass list policy that inproves the current one but lacks due process for the accused.
The board approved the policy to be posted 30 days for comments, a requirement of HUD rules.
The new policy requires written documentation for someone to be placed on the list, a big improvement. It provides guidelines for offenses, such as domestic violence. Almost anyone working at the PHA can list a person.
There's an appeals process for getting off the list, which involves a written request to the security administrator or top PHA police officer. But that's likely the person who listed the individual.
The officer decides whether to remove the person. There's no hearing or appeals process from his decision, not to the PHA board or better yet an independent committee. Thus there's no way to challenge the evidence or statements that caused the individual to be listed.
In short, no due process.
The PHA board didn't question the lack of due process. Instead comments were made about the possibility of overwhelming the officer with paperwork.
Anyone on the list can be arrested and jailed for criminal trespass if they set foot on PHA property, even though they may have been falsely accused of the crime that got them listed.
There are reportedly 1,500 names on the list, name lacking documentation and many duplicates and some deceased, though officer Jerry McKean said he is continuing to "whittle down" the number of names.
He also said documents and police reports will be required to list someone, and the paperwork "says how long you stay off the property," a detail not mentioned in the policy.
Because it requires written documentation, the new policy is an improvement, but it's not enough. It needs an independent appeals process.
I plan to submit a comment to the PHA, and I hope others will do likewise.
-- Elaine Hopkins
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