Maricopa’s new Code Enforcement Officer helping to make a difference in the community

Knee-high weeds growing in the yard of that house on the corner? Two doors down a truck is parked on the sidewalk every weekend? Construction debris still piled on the street two months after a new build is completed? Who do you call? (No, NOT Ghostbusters!) Maricopa has someone better. Maricopa now has its own Code Enforcement Officer — Brian Duncan.

Brian Duncan is Maricopa’s new Code Enforcement Officer.

Originally from Garden City, Michigan, Duncan started his law enforcement career as a Reserve Conservation Officer with the State of Michigan. In 1982, Duncan, who enjoys golf, hunting and fishing, moved to Arizona and began a career with a local police department. He is an active member of the Arizona Chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates (FBINAA), which will host the national FBINAA conference in 2007. His wife, Marie, works for an area fire department. They have two grown children, one grandson and another on the way.

What does a code enforcement officer do? According to Duncan, ” My duties primarily consist of investigating and, when needed, enforcing city code and ordinance violations.” He works closely with the various homeowners’ associations in the community to assist them with violations they encounter in their developments.

“We are still using the old county codes,” notes Duncan, “but, as the city grows, the codes will be revised to better fit our needs. I have already started this process.” Other city entities are also working on some of these issues. For example, the parking ordinance from the Maricopa Public Safety Committee, which is currently in the hands of the City Attorney, will spell out various parking violations and infractions.

Currently, two chapters of the City Code provide the basis for enforcement. Chapter 10 (Section 10-1-12) refers to “any condition, thing or act, to the prejudice, danger or annoyance of others.”
That very broad area includes the following: animal waste, dumped construction materials, vehicles for sale parked around town, abandoned scrap metal, glass, paper, etc, abandoned vehicles either on city property or on right of ways, graffiti, abandoned or unattended refrigerators and dangerous or deteriorated structures.

“I also refer to our Health and Sanitation Codes (Chapter 9 of the City Code); mainly this pertains to litter, trash, garbage, debris, illegal dumping and requirements for hauling garbage,” explained Duncan. “I usually use both sections of the code when notifying property owners of violations pertaining to trash, weed, etc.”

What qualifications are needed in order to become a code enforcement officer? “In my case the City of Maricopa was looking for an Arizona P.O.S.T.- certified law enforcement officer, a person authorized to issue criminal citations, with experience in courtroom testifying, report writing and retention, as well as an understanding of the rules of evidence.” Duncan is also studying to obtain his American Association of Code Enforcement Certification; he has a year to do so.

What is the best part of being Maricopa’s code enforcement officer? “The best part of the job is working with citizens to solve community problems. I have always enjoyed that aspect of being a public servant,” says Duncan. “There’s no better feeling than working with people of the community and together identifying the problem, developing a plan and solving the problem.”

What is the worst aspect of your job? “The worst part of the job is dealing with investors that have no interest in the community or their own property, except to make money,” noted Duncan. “These are predominantly the out-of-state investors who own land or homes in Maricopa.”

What is a typical day like for Maricopa’s new Code Enforcement Officer? According to Duncan, he spends most days “either addressing citizen code complaints or driving around the city proactively identifying violations. Several hours of my day are spent writing notices of violations and preparing them to be mailed.”

Recently Duncan had door hangars printed for Nuisance Property Violations, as well as parking violation stickers. Now he will be spending even more time in the field addressing those types of problems. “I have found that most people are at work during the day so these tools will help notify citizens of observed violations,” he explained.

This hang tag indicates that the resident is in violation of a city code.

“I expect a lot of my time in the near future will be devoted to help correct nuisance property and parking violations in some of our newer communities, said Duncan. “The problem has gotten somewhat out of control, so I have offered my assistance to help out with these communities even though they may have a management company. I recently assisted one of the local homeowners’ associations in one of the newer communities where we had great success.”

Maricopa’s new Code Enforcement Officer is definitely on the job. He offered some advice for the city’s residents: “Sometimes the efforts needed to solve community problems require people to think outside the box and get involved. It’s so easy to just complain. Together we can make a difference in our community.”