7 Orlando Complexes Certified As "Crime-Free"

ORLANDO, Fla.,None — Seven Orlando apartment complexes were certified as "crime-free" Thursday, and that means strict new rules for anyone who moves in. Under the program, getting arrested for violent crimes will lead to an eviction.

Orlando police want people to look for the "crime-free" sign if they're trying to find the safest places in the city to live. Police said they've set a new standard in crime-free living.

The new program is meant to attract residents to multi-family housing that is safe, according to strict standards of security.

"You know, we not only want to reduce crime by numbers, we also want to reduce the fear of crime," Orlando Police Chief Val Demings said Thursday.

Demings joined city leaders to kick off the crime-free multi-housing program with the first seven apartment complexes. To earn the seal of approval, there are dozens of security measures that must be ensured, including lighting, cameras, safe entryways and a myriad of other safety guidelines.

"I feel fantastic about it. My wife is always worried about safety," Fountains of Millenia resident Tom Jones told WFTV.

Jones said it's more than just a sign; he truly feels his family is safe at the Fountains at Millenia, one of the first complexes to earn the honor.

Managers at the complex became interested in the program after an attempted rape and murder last year. Now, they've spent tens of thousands of dollars on security, from lights to cameras to reinforced doors. Police have 49 complexes either qualified or working on it.

The city hopes good, old-fashioned competition leads even more of Orlando's 225 apartment complexes to want to hang the new sign of security.

"We want potential tenants to be well-informed about the properties that they are looking into. And one huge element of the program [is] a new database for background checks and an alert system that tells management here if a resident is arrested," Demings said.

It's written in the leases that if you get arrested for a serious crime, you're out, even before a potential conviction.

The other six complexes participating in the crime-free program are: Danube Way, Commander Place, Rosement Country Club, The Villages, Ridge Club, and Willow Key apartments.

WFTV