It's Chief Singer's first offcial day on the job and already she's making huge strides to clean up the city.

 

Once the site of gang and drug activity this abandoned property is now reduced to rubble.

 

"Some of them have clearly been used as gang hang outs. Drug houses if you will," Desert Hot Springs Chief of Police, Kate Singer said.

 

The church across the street got caught in gang cross fire last year during a shootout. It was also the target of tagging--now, Chief Singer and her team hope to rid the area of violence, one abandoned home at a time.

 

"If you leave these types of homes unattended then they start to deteriorate and crime comes," Hart Ponder, Code Compliance Manager, said.

 

The project is Chief Singer's brain child. Funded by the city for now, but she says they hope to get their money back when the properties are sold.

 

We've just focused on how we can improve the quality of life within the community and that includes getting rid of blighted properties," Chief Singer said.

 

The project is already being welcomed with open arms by the community--tired of the drugs, gangs, and prostitution enabled by these homes.

 

"I think it's great," Desert Hot Springs resident Tonya Anglin said. I think it will clean up Desert Hot Springs because it's kind of going down and it's supposed to be a small town so getting rid of the abandoned houses will maybe get rid of the crackheads, you know the drugs and stuff."

 

Its a sentiment echoed throughout the city--end the blight and improve the quality of life for everyone in Desert Hot Springs.

 

Chief Singer says she hopes to have the first 5 abandonded properties torn down by the end of September.