Is Urbandale's Motel Relax Safer Now?

A six-month report on crime at in Urbandale shows an increase in police calls, but a decrease in arrests since police began working with the motel's management to reduce crime there.

"I have been pleased with the cooperative effort from motel management," said Urbandale Police Chief Ross McCarty.

Jill Mollison, property manager and one of the owners of Motel Relax, said she's happy and the motel's regular guests are happy.

"I think people feel really safe because we're calling the police on everything," she said. "We're a crime-free property. We've gone through all the training and people understand we have a zero-tolerance policy."

The Past

After two men died of drug overdoses at the motel in 2011 and 2010, one of the men's sister complained to the Urbandale City Council about the motel. Urbandale police looked at the number of police calls in the previous three years and found it exceeded 500 calls.

McCarty said at that time that police would work with the motel management to clean it up, or failing that, would work to shut it down.

Six months later, police and Mollison say there is progress.

"With only seven arrests there in five months, I'm pretty happy about that," said Officer Randy Peterson, who has been coordinating community police efforts with Mollison. "I'm happy with those results. I think we're making progress."

The motel had 73 calls to police from Feb. 1 to June 30, compared to 60 calls during that period in 2011. By comparison, another affordable extended stay motel in Urbandale had 45 calls to police this spring and 23 calls the previous spring.

Ramada Inn had 24 calls,had 14 calls and had 12 calls this spring, according to police records.

Both Peterson and McCarty said they expected police calls to go up initially, which they did. They say that reflects motel staff and motel guests calling police more often.

In the past six months, police and Mollison worked together to "change the motel's environment to a guest-friendly motel, specializing in services to an often neglected, impoverished portion of our society having urgent needs for temporary housing," wrote McCarty.

The Present

Since Feb. 1, seven tenants have been arrested and evicted from the motel, according to the report. Of the arrests: two were previous arrest warrants, two were on domestic abuse charges, one was on harassment, one person was armed and one was charged as a minor in possession of alcohol or tobacco.

McCarty wrote that the department's broad goals were:

• To reduce police trips dealing with repeat offenders at the motel,
• To lessen the availability and use of illegal drugs there,
• And to establish a positive working relationship between the motel staff, management and the police department.

Police created a new program called the Crime Free Hotel/Motel Program, which is based on a similar community policing effort called Crime Free Multi-Housing Program. Motel staff and management completed that training last month.

In May, the police department designated a specific group of police officers - including one patrol supervisor, three patrol officers, a detective, and Peterson to work exclusive with the motel to build trust and relationships with staff and guests.

The Future

And recently, a Polk County judge affirmed the motel's legal right to immediately "lock out" any guest who violates property rules. All guests must read and sign that they understand the rules before the motel will rent a room to them.

Mollison also said her staff is sharing the list of guests they've asked to leave with other extended-stay hotels, so troublemakers can't go from hotel to hotel.