Tempe 311 neighborhood snitch app

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

I don't see a problem with the app - Phoenix has one & it forces you to take a pic of the "violation" - if there isn't a violation, there's no need to investigate- if there is one, then well, obey the law or suffer.

I'm all about private property rights & one of those rights is to not have to have to take a serious financial loss because one or two neighbors are slobs/hoarders.

I'm not saying anything about the present app, I don't have it/use it. I know there are some people who have issues with it, and some who probably do abuse it. I was just pointing out that the city says there is a new version coming; I don't know what the differences are.

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by Voebe

What's exactly the motivation here? Are you trying to join the neighborhood gestapo?

I would guess for the vast majority of people who use it, no. I'd guess most use it for things like loud dog barking that impacts one's quality of life in a negative way, people who don't care about keeping their home neat/in compliance with the rules of a city(that's fine in isolation) but realize there's a point where a sloppy/against the local ordinances home impacts the property value of others people home in a negative way(that's not fine).

I look at it all as getting selfish people/those who disrespect their neighbors/impact them in a negative way who made the conscious choice to not follow the rules of a city some incentive to do so, that's all.

So perhaps you should frame the people who break city ordinances as fascists instead of calling those who like a neat neighborhood/want those to follow the city ordinance rules/want their property value to be maintained the gestapo.

[Bird Street]

I don't understand why this app supports accusing people of crimes. The Phoenix neighborhood preservation supports property violation complaints anonymously from people who might live in a different city or even state. Phoenix has been through many reinventions of the ordinance including a line of sight rule that was never enforced. If one yard was inspected for overgrown dead vegetation, the inspector would sight other properties around it with the same violation. I don't think it was ever done. City of Phoenix would only go after a complaint to a point that it reached the city attorney's office and then just drop it. So you have the blighted city of Phoenix. I believe it is Dallas that publishes that certain areas of the city will be inspected and sends their inspectors out looking for property violations. People have a chance to clean up their messes before they are cited. Dallas has good looking neighborhoods. The only recourse for Phoenix neighborhoods is a strict neighborhood association to control homeowner pig styes from existing. The Town of Paradise Valley does a good job of preventing and eliminating blight.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by Bird Street

I don't understand why this app supports accusing people of crimes. The Phoenix neighborhood preservation supports property violation complaints anonymously from people who might live in a different city or even state. Phoenix has been through many reinventions of the ordinance including a line of sight rule that was never enforced. If one yard was inspected for overgrown dead vegetation, the inspector would sight other properties around it with the same violation. I don't think it was ever done. City of Phoenix would only go after a complaint to a point that it reached the city attorney's office and then just drop it. So you have the blighted city of Phoenix. I believe it is Dallas that publishes that certain areas of the city will be inspected and sends their inspectors out looking for property violations. People have a chance to clean up their messes before they are cited. Dallas has good looking neighborhoods. The only recourse for Phoenix neighborhoods is a strict neighborhood association to control homeowner pig styes from existing. The Town of Paradise Valley does a good job of preventing and eliminating blight.

You're mischaracterizing Phoenix's system for sure. A complaint in Phoenix doesn't equal an instant fine - the property owner has an opportunity to correct whatever was complained about. The fact that we don't have squads of roaming "nit pickers" on the payroll is a feature, not a bug. If you do something that both bugs your neighbors and simultaneously violates code, you'll get a letter & a citation (later in the process) if you refuse to fix it. There's no danger of "abuse", because if you send a picture that doesn't show a violation, there's nothing to investigate & no fines. The Phoenix app Geo-codes the pics & time-stamps them, so you can't send an old pic, or a pic of a different house.

[Bird Street]

I have no idea what the fines are with the City of Phoenix Neighborhood Services. I am familiar with the Phoenix anti-blight ordinance going back to its beginning when Howard Adams was my councilman in west central Phoenix. My neighbors and I were so happy that the city might finally do something about trashy properties with junk and weeds in front yards. I think it is not nit-picky for City of Phoenix employees to enforce tax payer approved ordinances. My parents were always so proud of our home and kept the paint nice and yard manicured. It's how I was raised. We never had old cars jacked up in the driveway with the wheels off doing home repairs. Other people may have thought it was the norm to throw old tires in the front yard. I expect city employees to do their jobs and not just drive around in a city vehicle and pick up a pay check. I have a house near me that has had violations going back to the 90's. It gets worse every day and has been for years. It is the breeding ground for Arcadia roof rats and feral cats. The property is a fire waiting to happen. It it did burn, the fire department would not be able to gain access to fight the fire.

I know that the city inspects for reported violations and leaves a notice for a date of re-inspection. I don't think I spoke of goon squads and instant fines. I don't think it's too much to ask people to bend over and pick up a piece of trash that may have blown into their own front yard. My house is one of my biggest assets. The house that my grandparents paid $11,000 cash for in 1958 is now worth $400k. I will continue to take care of it and expect the neighbors to take care of theirs.

[RenW]

By and large there seem to be a lot of useful reports There is a limited number of recent requests that can be viewed on the app in a list (sometimes with submitted pictures) or on a map of the city. You can save reports as "favorites" to check later or look at your own submissions. I see no way to search historic reports beyond "recent". You also can't see how has submitted reports.

I've seen from looking at the app on and off that in some neighborhoods it appears to be over and incorrectly used by people being too picky. For instance, complaint of weeds when from the attached pictures they are not -that- bad and under the height threshold dictated by the city ordinance. It is like you have busy bodies making reporting less than -perfect- yards their job. I'm really glad I don't live in one of those neighborhoods. I hardly ever see things for our neighborhood.

I miss the comedic posts of things like Elvis sightings or other off the wall things. I don't see those anymore. It is sad.

[Colt AZ]

Originally Posted by RenW

By and large there seem to be a lot of useful reports There is a limited number of recent requests that can be viewed on the app in a list (sometimes with submitted pictures) or on a map of the city. You can save reports as "favorites" to check later or look at your own submissions. I see no way to search historic reports beyond "recent". You also can't see how has submitted reports.

I've seen from looking at the app on and off that in some neighborhoods it appears to be over and incorrectly used by people being too picky. For instance, complaint of weeds when from the attached pictures they are not -that- bad and under the height threshold dictated by the city ordinance. It is like you have busy bodies making reporting less than -perfect- yards their job. I'm really glad I don't live in one of those neighborhoods. I hardly ever see things for our neighborhood.

I miss the comedic posts of things like Elvis sightings or other off the wall things. I don't see those anymore. It is sad.

Self-important busy bodies we will always have with us.

I feel the same about certain people who do reviews.