While the relationship between a landlord and a tenant is technically a professional one, it differs from other such relationships in that it involves personal matters. For this reason, tensions between these parties can easily escalate to the point where the potential for violence exists. This often prompts landlords to involve law enforcement to help guarantee their safety when trying to evict. They must, however, receive a judgment from a court authorizing them to commence eviction proceedings before petitioning for police assistance.
Per the St. Charles County Sheriff’s Office, the department’s Civil Process Sergeant schedules eviction assistance appointments (typically within a week of a landlord submitting a petition. On the scheduled day, landlords are expected to meet with their assigned representative from the sherrif’s office with tools to gain entry to the unit, as well as new locks (or a locksmith) if forced entry is needed. The law enforcement officers will then announce his or her presence to the occupants and asked to be allowed to enter. If there is no response, he or she will enter through the means provided by the landlord and inspect the premises to ensure there are not threats to safety before allowing others inside.
In such a situation, landlords are also expected to being enough help to be able to remove all of the former occupant’s items to the curbside. This is due to that fact that, per the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, any abandoned property can be removed by a landlord (provided said landlord has complied with the state’s eviction guidelines). If the former occupant does not come to reclaim his or her items within 24 hours, the landlord may dispose of them.