At least three Prescott citizens had harsh words about the actions of the city’s code enforcement officer, Sanjeev Dhawan, in the performance of his duties. Randy Hanson, Richard Niebur and Dick Warner each stated specific instances of conflict with Dhawan as he brought code violations to the attention of property owners. Grass clippings from mowing the boulevard were found in the street, according to Niebur, causing Dhawan to warn him that it was against city code. Niebur suggested to the council that a specified amount of time between the mowing and the cleaning up should be determined before a citation would go into effect. Hanson reported asking Dhawan to leave his property multiple times, but the officer would not comply.The situation was escalated, said Hanson, when Dhawan called 9-1-1 to mitigate the confrontation which brought 2 Prescott Police squads and one from Pierce County. Hanson brought the incident to the council to ask what his rights are in being challenged on his property over a code violation.
A confrontation between Dhawan and another resident in May of 2017 concerned noxious weed abatement required by property owners. Alderperson Hintz at that time asked Dhawan how he generally informed a resident of a violation and he replied that a red tag is sometimes used to alert the resident a violation has been committed. The residents that spoke on Tuesday, however, did not refer to any previous contact , red tag or warning that a code violation took place. Two of the three that spoke suggested that additional training be considered for the officer and another resident from Trimbelle, stated that she felt the aggressive stance presented by Dhawan did not serve the city and made a poor impression on those who witness such behaviors. Two of the residents also suggested that Dhawan be fired. The statements were made during the public comment portion of the meeting and the city was not required to make statements or engage with possible solutions or action at this time.
