SLT Police stepping up responses to complaints of homeless and transients

During the spring and summer of 2016, the City of South Lake Tahoe received many complaints for homeless people causing safety and health problems in parks and public places, mainly Lakeview Commons, Campground by the Lake, Heavenly Village and the transit centers at both ends of town.

This spring the number of calls have increased, and officers from the South Lake Tahoe Police have responded. The main five locations the problems occurred at in 2016 remain the same so far in 2017.

One possible reason the calls have increased is the stabbing on at the transit station at the Y according to SLTPD Lt. David Stevenson. On March 24, an altercation between three homeless and one resident occurred. All survived but concern for safety is on the rise.

Readers of South Tahoe Now's weekly "Police Blotter" will see a new entry of "Homeless/Transient" on calls the police respond to. These used to fall under categories of mentally disturbed, public urination, loitering, aggressive panhandling, drunk in public, or criminal trespassing. Now, if the police know the person they are talking to, or arresting, are part of the transient and homeless population, that becomes the new category.

In the last three week, SLTPD has responded to 50 calls for "Transient/Homeless," seven of those resulting in arrests. The police are also regularly patrolling the typical areas where transient and homeless people tend to hang out.

With the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless's Warm Room closing for the season on the morning of May 1, police are trying to stay on top of a situation they think will get worse with no place to stay overnight for the homeless.

South Lake Tahoe Police Chief Brian Uhler shared his plan for this year:

Step 1: During the spring and summer months, a staff member from the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless (TCH) will periodically check key locations, contact homeless people, offer services to those in need, provide information and guidance about the issues in some of our public spaces, and work with the homeless in a sensitive way to provide longer range solutions. Further, we have been in contact with officials from the Warm Room project (a part of the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless) in an effort to gain access to additional volunteers for some of these same functions. Expanding this outreach effort to a pool of volunteers is currently being considered.

Step 2: Before the season arrives, TCH staff plan to share this informational bulletin with homeless people and non-profit organizations which help the homeless. It is hoped that this proactive effort will help. Further, we are distributing this information to the public.

Step 3: City staff at parks, visitor’s center, and campground, along with police department staff will be vigilant in our efforts to patrol and take enforcement action when needed. Enforcement tools are used for flagrant misconduct or cases where voluntary compliance is not successful and violations of the law occur.

Last summer, homeless hanging out at Lakeview Commons were sleeping under bushes, defecating in barbeques and aggressively panhandling tourists in the area. The transit center at the Y has now been closed for weeks due to the fear employees had of working in the enclosed waiting room, and non-paying campers at the City run Campground at the Lake have been asked to leave.

"It is our goal to provide safe and clean public spaces for all to enjoy!" said Chief Uhler in a press release. "If you see any situations in our public spaces which need our attention, please call the police department (530) 542-6100 (or 9-1-1 for emergencies)."

-South Tahoe Now staff report