City Launches Crackdown on Sidewalk Sleepers
Officers dealt with multiple incidents involving homeless people and folks under the influence this weekend and tried to do something about the growing problem of people camping around town.
Just before 5 pm, officers responded to a report of a woman passed out behind a building at 17th and Hutchins. When police arrived on the scene, the woman said she had gotten warm and decided to lie down. Officers said she did not appear to be under the influence or having any mental health issues.
At 5:30 pm, a caller reported a man who could barely stand leaning against a stop sign at Dorman Drive and Grandview Avenue. Police took him into custody for disorderly conduct and also charged him with bringing prohibited items into a detention facility.
At the request of a city official, officers responded to a popular camping spot behind a Kendall Avenue business to try to clear the area. Witnesses had reported a camper in a tent with a growling dog and a while lot of trash.
Police advised the camper to take his things and go, and a cleanup crew went to work picking up the trash.
Just after 4 pm, callers reported a woman camped out under the canopy of a Grandview Avenue church. Police advised her to leave the scene.
