LONGMONT, Colo. – A day after Denver7 reported that police officers and their K-9 partners were tagging along during apartment inspections, the police department said it was discontinuing the practice.
A Longmont Police Department spokesperson called Tuesday to say the department’s officers didn’t participate in any inspections Tuesday and that they wouldn’t be involved in the future.
When pressed as to why, the spokesperson said it simply “wasn’t something the department felt it should be involved with.”
A tenant at The Suites in Longmont first alerted Denver7 that her landlords were having the police tag along during the inspections, raising concerns over tenants’ Fourth Amendment rights.
The complex had been giving the mandatory 24-hour notice to tenants that their apartments would be entered with the following warning: "Please note that we will occasionally have K-9 units with LPD accompany us for purposes of training and compliance."
The Longmont Housing Authority manages The Suites and were doing the inspections in a partnership with the police department.
But the practice was shaky, as police needed consent from the apartment tenant to be able to enter the apartment, something the tenants were unclear if they were giving when they consented to the landlord inspection.
The Colorado Apartment Association has a renter's rights booklet that includes everything from when a landlord can enter your home to your responsibilities as a renter. That link can be found by clicking here.
