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IMPD cracking down on short-term rentals hosting underage parties

IMPD says people who rent property through short-term rental sites should be cautious to rent to people looking for a same day, one-night reservation.

INDIANAPOLIS — Jen Delia wasn't too surprised to come home to commotion next door on Saturday night.

"Most weekends it was a wild party," said Delia, who rents one unit of a duplex.

This past weekend, the crowd was noticeably younger than usual.

"We had just come from a concert, so I came right out on the porch, and I said, 'Excuse me, we share a wall. Please keep it down, I'm very tired,'" said Delia. "They were teenagers, so they got really scared because clearly, I'm not a teenager."

What came next, she didn't expect.

"I was sitting in the window and watched this man walk into the street and start shooting like four or five times," said Delia.

Shortly after shots were fired, police arrived.

"They weren't SWAT team, but they were all in black, wearing bulletproof vests with flashlights," said Delia.

IMPD says they're cracking down on short-term rentals, like Airbnb, that are being used to host underage parties. 

"There’s alcohol consumption, there’s drug consumption, drug dealing in some instances and then the gathering becomes so large and out of control because there’s no security or any kind of parental supervision," said IMPD Capt. Christopher Boomershine.

He said these parties are becoming more common and even more dangerous.

"The location is not typically announced until the last minute, or it's announced using a messenger system, so it's hard to track them," said Boomershine.

Police responded to shots fired at a north side home that was hosting a party around 1 a.m. Sunday - the same home that Delia rents a unit in. Police say when they arrived, 50 to 70 people scattered from the home.

"Many of the flyers say alcohol is provided, weed is provided, things like that," said Boomershine. "There's no security, there's no planning for security, there's no protocols for keeping people safe and there's no limits on how many people can gather."

Police say they made several arrests this past weekend in connection to that party, including two after a car chase. They say they also recovered drugs, guns and thousands of dollars in cash.

IMPD says people who rent property through short-term rental sites should be cautious to rent to people looking for a same day, one-night reservation. Also, they should be mindful of renting to someone local. Police say many people renting homes for these parties are "straw renters" that aren't the person actually renting the property.

They say landlords should ask plenty of questions to the renter about what they plan to do during their stay, install cameras and noise detectors and report any bad renters to the specific companies the property is listed with.

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