Fresno council votes to allow razor wire in the city. Dozens of businesses were already using it
Business owners across the city of Fresno say they are having trouble keeping their vehicles and properties safe from burglars.
Penny Murray, president of Valley Produce in downtown Fresno, said that one morning her company trucks had their batteries stolen. Other items have also disappeared over time, she said.
Business owners like Murray have tried to remedy the problem by putting up razor wire along their fences. They say it’s their last line of defense against break-ins.
“Barbed wire is not going to do it,” Murray told the Fresno City Council on Thursday. “There’s nothing else to protect other than spending thousands of dollars.”
Murray and one other business owner lobbied the council before it voted on legalizing razor wire – even while it has been commonly used citywide for years. With brief discussion, the council unanimously approved adding the use of razor wire to municipal code, a resolution introduced by Councilmembers Garry Bredefeld and Luis Chavez.
The vote came months after about 60 businesses got notices from the city’s code enforcement in August to take down the razor wire after someone complained.
Some business owners took it down, others didn’t.
Randy Hergenroeder, controller at Bussetto Foods with a plant in southwest Fresno, said the lack of clear rules over razor wire confused business owners like him. He said he and others have purchased the wire legally in Fresno, while then being told they couldn’t have it.
Christina Roberson, assistant city attorney, said that while the razor wires were not allowed before Thursday, or after the notices were issued, no citations had been handed out to businesses since the city was looking into the issue.
Roberson said the code enforcement department is going to “follow the spirit of the new ordinance until it is fully effective.”
Although property crimes have decreased throughout the years according to police department reports, business owners say they still see problems.
Duane Failla, owner of Pacific Door and Cabinet in north Fresno, said his business has used razor wire since 1969 and the city never requested to remove it until he got a letter in August. On Thursday, he said the wire was still up; he said it’s expensive to remove it.
“It’s all over the city,” Failla said.
Amending rule for sensitive areas
The resolution to add razor wire to the municipal code would mean the wire could be installed in industrial and commercial areas only. But as property owners previously put up razor wires without city consent, the wire popped up unequally across the city.
Councilmember Miguel Arias said across his southwest Fresno district, razor wire is up near homes and next to churches and community centers. He showed images of some areas during the meeting.
He said his district “wasn’t master-planned like the rest of the city where you could separate residential neighborhoods, create buffers between commercial, and create buffers between industrial.”
Arias proposed a buffer zone of about 1,000 feet to prevent razor wire from being installed near sensitive areas such as neighborhoods, parks and community-gathering places. The council agreed to move forward with the resolution and work with business owners to establish the rules.
