(From WEEK News 25) - Peoria police says they are seeing improvement in one of the city's most troublesome neighborhoods, the Lexington Hills apartment complex. Police attribute the progress to changes that have taken place in recent months.
Ever since the summer the Peoria Police department's Armadillo has occupied a parking space at Lexington Hills apartment complex. Peoria police have been working with the apartment managers to try and clean up the crime plagued community. Chief Steve Settingsgaard says violent crimes have dropped 80 percent in the past two months compared to the same time last year.
"The police have made great strides I think we've done it together it's a safer place than it was in the spring and early summer. It's a safer place than it was last year and I think we're going to continue to show improvement," he said.
Leman Brothers Properties the managers of Lexington Hills declined to talk to us on camera about some of the changes. Police say apartment complex now requires tenants to have parking permits on their vehicles. Designated spaces are marked in the parking lot for visitors and entrance doors are secured.
"There's cameras in hallways and that seems to be an excellent deterrent inside because we're moving crime indoors with the armadillos and once we put cameras in the hallways that seems to really make a difference, " said Peoria Police Officer Beth Hermacinski.
Tenant Kyesia Caldwell says unlike before things are quieter now at the apartment complex since the nuisance vehicle arrived.
"They move them from court to court. So I'm pretty sure I think they scare away a lot of people. So there hasn't been anything happening," she said.
Police are planning to put a camera near the apartment complex that has the ability to record license plate numbers.
Settingsgaard says they want to be able to check vehicles coming and going in case more violence errupts.
