A recent report discusses stepped-up efforts by the Southfield MI code-enforcement division to address blight utilizing GIS technology.

A secretary in the city's code-enforcement division rounds out the team of six officers who, equipped with high-tech tools, will work seven days a week cruising the streets to look for overgrown weeds, peeling paint and miscellaneous signs. Typically, officers don't work weekends, when garage sale signs, for example, proliferate.

Southfield's code-enforcement manager, Gerald Witkowski, emphasized the gentle approach of his staff, who often know the homeowner's name before knocking on the door to mention dog droppings on the lawn that could attract rats, or the unsightly semi parked in the driveway. They know the name because of the geographic information system-equipped laptops they carry that provide aerial photographs of the home, a history of violations at the address, and the names of the property owners.

"We're not looking to punish anyone; we're looking for the abatement," Witkowski said. "It's more of an educational program than a demand."

The program's past efforts seem to be working: 97% of all violations are corrected by residents or business owners, he said. Even so, last year the city issued 156 summonses to violators who were warned but failed to comply. Fines range from $25 to $500, but tend to be on the lower end, he said.

The new efforts couldn't come at a better time, as far as Clyde Nichols is concerned.

"I'm 100% behind it. The neighborhood's going downhill," said Nichols, vice president of his neighborhood association in the Shiawassee-9 Mile road area. "I've got three or four houses nearby that are boarded up, tagged or just sitting there empty. There are other houses where people aren't caring enough."

Nichols is not a member of Active Citizens Together in Our Neighborhoods, a group of volunteers who help the code-enforcement division by sending friendly notices to their neighbors about a violation before the city steps in. The division also is helped by two college-age students paid with community development block grants to identify violations and if need be, correct them.

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