CPD hosting free class Wednesday to help landlords spot heroin use in their rental properties

Landlords and neighbors have a free opportunity to learn how the heroin epidemic is impacting the Tri-State's housing market Wednesday night. Specialist Kelly Raker of the Cincinnati Police Department is hosting a free class from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday to teach landlords how to deal with nuisance tenants and evictions. The class will focus on how to spot heroin use and how to prevent accidental exposure. "Watch what's going on," Raker said. "If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, odds are, it's a duck. So we want them to see what's going on and call us. We've had neighbors call us constantly and say 'we think this is what's going on' then we get a hold of the landlord and say 'we got a problem,' and we work with them to fix it." There are thousands of rental properties across Cincinnati -- chances are there's a renter in your neighborhood. Police aim to educate both landlords and neighbors on the warning signs of heroin use and how to use the police department to eradicate it. The meeting is free and open to anybody -- you don't have to be a landlord. It's at the Metropolitan Housing Authority at 1627 Western Ave. The Cincinnati Police Department also has a comprehensive, 8-hour class for landlords. The next class is Sept. 9 at Christ Hospital.