nicholas.ingersoll

We previously faced a significant vagrancy issue in our parks and public spaces, and we were able to reduce it dramatically through consistent, strict enforcement of our existing ordinances and trespass authority.

Our night shift played a major role early on by aggressively identifying violations occurring after hours and taking action—issuing trespass warnings for park-after-hours offenses and making arrests when appropriate. As those warnings accumulated, we were able to arrest repeat offenders for trespass after warning, which helped break the cycle and send a clear expectation for conduct in our parks.

Day shift reinforced this effort by addressing violations first thing at the start of each shift. They routinely located additional ordinance violations related to camping, littering, and public urination. The combination of early-shift enforcement and day-long proactive patrols resulted in frequent contacts, additional trespass warnings, and consistent enforcement pressure.

Over time, this approach built a very clear reputation within the transient community. Once it became well-known that our agency strictly enforced park rules, public-space ordinances, and trespass violations, the population in those areas decreased substantially and the chronic hang-outs largely dissipated.