Butler City Council on Tuesday received an update on the crackdown of disorderly homes throughout the city.

Police Chief Robert S. O'Neill said more than 57 letters were sent to property owners. He said the police department has identified about 46 properties as being problematic.

“I think we're starting to see some patterns, so I think it's time to ramp it up a bit,” Councilman Jeff Smith said.

Smith said more than one year ago council approved an amendment that updated a disorderly house ordinance that had been in place for more than 40 years.

Smith said the adjustments helped track which homes, especially rentals, were consistently being visited by police for drug violations.

“They've been sending warning letters to the landlords warning them in a nice way that we found drugs there and you're in violation of this ordinance,” Smith said.

O'Neill said there were about six properties denoted as repeat offenders.

Solicitor Tom Breth said the ordinance has been approached with care to ensure privacy while accomplishing its goal.

“We want to make sure that we have a really strong case,” Breth said. “Is it perfect? No, but we're getting there.”

According to the update, some landlords have cooperated and responded positively to the notifications, which means removing tenants.

“Some of them have been great. They have voluntarily evicted people,” Smith said. “I do think it's worked well.”