Texas after City of Dallas v. Stewart: Police Nuisances Or City Police Power Abated

Abstract

The current economic recession has been the single worst in the United States since the Great Depression. In 2010, 46.2 million people were living at or below the poverty level. As a result of the nation's economic downturn and unemployment rates, there has been an onslaught of municipal decay and abandoned buildings. Nonseasonal vacant properties increased from 7 million in the year 2000 to 10 million in the year 2010. Texas, in particular, experienced a 41% to 50% increase in the number of vacant properties in its cities. Public nuisances such as deteriorating buildings, pest infestations, and overgrown vegetation commonly result from these neglected properties. Their presence has a negative effect on the quality of life of people living in communities nationwide. In the wake of the recession more than ever, Texas has been faced with the need to abate public nuisances in an effort to keep its communities safe and to rehabilitate its cities.