The Crime Free Platinum Program

In May 2008, the premier CRIME FREE PLATINUM PROGRAM was born out of the need to take the Crime Free Program to the next level and raise funding that was necessary to provide scholarships to law enforcement officers who, due to tight budget constraints within their own police agency, were unable to get approved to attend crime prevention training classes.

The International Crime Free Programs have proven to be highly effective, reducing crime by a national average of nearly 80% in the worst rental properties. After more than 16 years, the Crime Free Programs are more popular than ever, but police training budgets are tighter than ever. To raise money, it became necessary to develop a new and bolder approach to keeping illegal activity out of rental property.

J. Denton “Denny” Dobbins, co-founder and legal counsel for the International Crime Free Association, a prominent landlord/tenant attorney and the world’s leading legal intructor on premises liability dedicated his talents to take crime prevention to an all time high through the Crime Free Platinum program. In April 2008, Timothy L. Zehring, the original developer of the Crime Free Programs and co-founder of the International Crime Free Association, retired from the Mesa, AZ Police Department and joined Denny to focus his efforts on the education of law enforcement officers and the growth of the Crime Free Platinum and the International Crime Free Programs.

The CRIME FREE PLATINUM PROGRAM was carefully constructed, utilizing the varied experiences of law enforcement personnel, private investigators, security experts, lawyers and the executive board members of the International Crime Free Association. This collaborative effort has produced the premier risk management and crime prevention strategies for rental property owners and managers of rental property.

The CRIME FREE PLATINUM PROGRAM is the next-generation approach to the highly successful International Crime Free Programs. The CRIME FREE PLATINUM PROGRAM provides a way for Crime Free Certified rental properties to progress to the highest level of International Crime Free Property certification.

Tailored to further decrease criminal activity in an effort to provide residents and employees an increased peace of mind, the CRIME FREE PLATINUM PROGRAM requires that employees and service providers of rental properties undergo background checks. (Las Vegas, Nevada was the first city to require background checks for all of their rental property managers.)

While the thought of background checks might be unsettling to some prospective renters, there is a corresponding comfort for the majority of renters who experience an increased level of comfort that comes from knowing the employees and service providers have also completed thorough background checks.

Theft, identity theft, burglary, assault, molestation, rape and murder are just a few of the crimes that have been committed by employees and service providers. There is an increasing number of cases and legal claims regarding hidden (pin hole) cameras, audio recording and monitoring devices which have secretly been placed in bedroom and bathroom vents and other areas of residents’ apartments. Landlords can be sued for the criminal acts of residents, employees and the employees of their property’s service providers, especially without adaquate crime prevention proceedures being in place to deter such activities. (See our section on Premises Liability.)

Therefore, landlords are realizing that background checks on their residents as well as their employees and service providers that have occasion to go into a resident’s apartment or onto the property to perfom work of any kind have become a necessity. Once on the grounds or inside an apartment, employees and service providers have access to a resident’s tax records, bank statements, personal property, and family members; as well as being able to easily peer into windows and learn of the residents’ comings and goings.

Rental property owners appreciate their residents’ satisfaction in knowing the property’s employees and service providers have been carefully criminally screened before being offered employment or being allowed on the property. Service providers, have been excited about promoting increased peace of mind for themselves and for their rental property owners, managers and residents by requiring verification that there is a crime-free history of their employees.

Each qualified employee receives a custom photo identification card with their own company logo clearly depicted on the card. Each employee is required to wear this card in plain view when they are on the rental property.

Companies who have employees that go onto rental property or that enter homes, apartments or business environments, (and those who hire independent contractors as representatives) benefit almost as much as the rental property owners, managers and residents from the CrimShield identification card and its unique verification process. This identification card promotes a very positive and professional image for the service provider company, because most employers only use business cards as identification.

Please visit our Crime Free Platinum Vendors section of this website to see if there are certified vendors in your area!