HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 12a - 90-Day Camping Enforcement Efforts Report
DATE: February 15, 2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Roy Nakamura, Chief of Police
By: Kristin Blair, Crime Analyst
Dr. Jennifer Brutus, Senior Management Analyst
SUBJECT: 90-DAY REPORT ON CAMPING ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS
Recommendation: Provide Direction
SUMMARY
At the September 21, 2021, Regular City Council Meeting, Ordinance No. 2381 was
introduced to amend Section 7915 of Chapter 9 of Article VII of the City of Arcadia
Municipal Code (“AMC”) relating to camping and storage of personal property on public
property. At this meeting, there was report and discussion on the City’s Homeless
Programs and Services, and the City Council directed staff to implement the Camping
Ordinance and report back on enforcement efforts after 90 days.
BACKGROUND
Ordinance No. 2381, which was later adopted on October 5, 2021, provided two
amendments to the City’s Camping regulations. The changes updated the camping
prohibition hours from starting at 10:00 p.m. to instead start at 8:00 p.m. and added
clarifying language to prohibit camping on all real property or lots associated with
prohibited camping areas, not just the buildings noted.
On July 6, 2021, the City also adopted Resolution No. 7376 to establish No Camping
signage (see Attachment “A”) in certain areas of the City as described in Chapter 9 of
Article VII Section 7915(c) of the AMC, which is now coded as AMC Section 7875(c). The
No Camping signs have been posted in approximately 110 locations, which are generally
high visibility locations at the edges of the areas shaded in orange in the City’s Camping
Enforcement Area Map (see Attachment “B”).
Arcadia Police Officers handle calls for service (“CFS”) every week that deal with
homeless subjects loitering or sleeping to the front of a business or private property,
unlawful camping, disturbances associated with drinking in public, noise complaints,
assaults, thefts, and, at times, suicidal subjects. Every day the Arcadia Police Department
90-Day Report on Camping Enforcement Efforts
February 15, 2022
Page 2 of 7
(the “Department”) works to both maintain and improve the quality of life for residents and
business owners in Arcadia.
DISCUSSION
Since implementation of the Camping Ordinance in October 2021, the Department has
been tracking the calls for service related to camping enforcement. The Department
already tracks and reports monthly on calls for service involving individuals experiencing
homelessness; however, this report focuses specifically on enforcement of AMC 7872 –
Unlawful Camping.
During a time where the City’s homeless population has risen, the City’s Camping
Ordinance is serving as a tool to deter unlawful camping. When Officers enforce the
Camping Ordinance, they advise the homeless person of their specific AMC violation and
offer services, per the Ordinance. Keeping in that being homeless in itself is not a crime,
Officers make contact with two goals in mind: warn and educate.
Although, Ordinance No. 2374 provides additional enforcement mechanisms such as
charging violations as a misdemeanor arrest and/or subjecting violators to a criminal
citation, it is the City’s intent to use educational and encouragement efforts prior to utilizing
these stronger alternatives. When needed, these additional enforcement mechanisms will
be used to address situations where people are intentionally defying the rules established
in the Ordinance.
Calls for Service
For the 90-day reporting period of October 18, 2021, through January 16, 2022, the
Department responded to 1,054 calls for service citywide involving individuals
experiencing homelessness. For the purposes of this report, the Department examined
encampment related calls for a specific geographical area covering Reporting District 11
(north of Huntington Drive, south of the I-210, east of Santa Anita Avenue, and west of
5th Avenue), Reporting District 14 (north of Duarte Road, south of Huntington Drive, east
of Santa Anita Avenue, and west of 5th Avenue), as well as the County Wash areas
located at the intersections of 2nd Avenue and Colorado Boulevard, and First Avenue and
Foothill Boulevard. This focus area includes Downtown Arcadia, the Transit Plaza, and
locations where unlawful camping occurs most regularly in the community and would
benefit the most from targeted enforcement efforts.
Of the 1,054 citywide homeless-related calls for service, 440 calls (42%) occurred in the
focus area and 74 (or 7%) were specifically regarding encampment enforcement. Of
those, the number of times an Officer advised a subject of AMC 7872 – Unlawful Camping
in the focus areas was 42 (57%). The number of calls happening in this area is depicted
below in Figure 1.
90-Day Report on Camping Enforcement Efforts
February 15, 2022
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Figure 1 – Homeless and Unlawful Camping Calls for Service in Reporting Districts 11 & 14 and County
Wash Areas for 90 Days: 10/18/2021 – 1/16/2022
ALL HOMELESS CALLS UNLAWFUL CAMPING CALLS
The calls for service data (Figure 2) show that homeless-related calls and those calls
specifically related to unlawful camping (AMC 7872) have been decreasing for the past
90 days since enforcement began. After the first 30 days of camping enforcement,
homeless-related calls citywide equaled 416 and dropped to 293 in the third month.
Similarly, in the focus area, homeless-related calls decreased every 30 days from 196 to
111, respectively.
In some cases, calls for service involving individuals experiencing homelessness entail
unlawful camping. Citywide, the calls requiring camping enforcement decreased over the
90-day period from 43 to 11, and from 29 to three in the focus area specifically.
440 Calls for Service involving individuals
experiencing homelessness
42 Calls for Service involving unlawful
camping; advised of AMC 7872
90-Day Report on Camping Enforcement Efforts
February 15, 2022
Page 4 of 7
In comparison to last year, the citywide homeless-related calls for service are 58% higher
than they were in the same 90-day reporting period, 667 compared to 1,054. However,
when comparing the current 90-day data to the prior 90 days (7/19/2021 – 10/17/2021),
the calls have decreased from 1,404 to 1,054 (25%), as shown in Figure 3.
During the 90-day reporting period, Officers made contact with 125 identified subjects
citywide (for all homeless-related calls). Many of these individuals were contacted
repeatedly, anywhere from two to 12 times. In the 90-day reporting period, the 125
identified subjects produced 231 homeless-related calls for service citywide (136 were in
the focus area as shown in Figure 4). In just the focus area, there were 71 identified
subjects, with 30 involved in repeat contacts. The other homeless-related citywide calls
416
196
43 29
345
133
20 11
293
111
11 3
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
1,054 Citywide 440 Focus Area (42%)74 Citywide (7%)42 Focus Area (57%)
All Homeless Calls Homeless AMC 7872 Calls
Figure 2 -All Homeless vs. Homeless AMC 7872 Calls
Citywide vs. Focus Area
90-Days: 10/18/21 -1/16/22
First 30 Days: 10/18 - 11/17 Second 30 Days: 11/18 - 12/17 Third 30 Days: 12/18-1/16
667
1,404
1,054
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
Same 90 Days,
Previous Year
10/18/20 - 1/16/21
90 Days Prior
7/19/21 - 10/17/21
Current 90 Days
10/18/21 - 1/16/22
Figure 3 -Historical Comparison of
Citywide Homeless-Related Calls
90-Day Increments
90-Day Report on Camping Enforcement Efforts
February 15, 2022
Page 5 of 7
for service (823 of 1,054) involved unidentified subjects. It is important to note that not all
subjects provide personal identifying information when contacted, thus, the number of
identified subjects would be higher if more homeless people shared information.
Enforcement Statistics
For the 90-day reporting period, there were no arrests or citations related to enforcing
AMC 7872 – Unlawful Camping. Although Officers responded to 74 homeless calls
Citywide that were related to AMC 7872, including 42 in the focus area, most of the calls
resulted in other final call types. Final call types are coded according to the end result,
which is based on the Officer’s findings. For example, an Officer may respond to a call
for illegal camping, but after contacting the subject find that the person has an outstanding
warrant. This call would get coded as a Warrant. Officers found that when they warned
persons that they were violating AMC 7872 for unlawfully camping, the subjects tended
to pack up and move along, so no citation was required. Figure 5 shows the top 10 final
call types for homeless calls Citywide and in the focus area.
FIGURE 5 - HOMELESS-RELATED FINAL CALL TYPES*
90-DAYS: 10/18/21 - 1/16/22
Citywide Homeless Calls Focus Area Homeless Calls Homeless Encounter 742 Homeless Encounter 333
Extra Patrol 72 Arcadia Muni Code Violation 35
Arcadia Muni Code Violation 48 Fight 6
Flagged Down 17 Warrant 5
Warrant 14 Flagged Down 5
Area Check 13 Area Check 5
Fight 12 Trespassing 4
Trespassing 10 Public Works 4
Theft 7 Extra Patrol 3
Medical 6 Robbery 2
* Top 10 final call types are the most common types of calls and are not equal to total calls for service.
136
71
30
0
50
100
150
Calls for Services Identified Homeless Individuals Persons with Repeat Contacts
Figure 4 -Call Statistics for Identified Subjects in
RD 11 & 14 and County Wash Areas
90-Days: 10/18/21 -1/16/22
Calls for Services Identified Homeless Individuals Persons with Repeat Contacts
90-Day Report on Camping Enforcement Efforts
February 15, 2022
Page 6 of 7
Most homeless-related calls are regarding a Homeless Encounter, which means a caller
reported a homeless person in the area. In these instances, the Officer makes contact
and provides resources, if applicable; however, no crime was committed. Citywide, the
second most common call type involving a homeless person was a request for extra
patrol. In the focus area, Arcadia Municipal Code violations were the second most
common, which includes, but is not limited to, illegal encampments.
The total homeless-related calls for service Citywide (1,054) resulted in 61 cases being
forwarded to the Detective Bureau for investigation, including 31 arrests. Of these cases, 33
occurred in the focus area, which involved 13 arrests. In comparison to the total homeless-
related calls for service in the focus area (440), the amount that resulted in further
investigation is equal to approximately 8%. Figure 6 below shows the type of cases that
Officers enforced upon in the focus area in the 90-day reporting period.
FIGURE 6 – HOMELESS-RELATED CALLS
ENFORCEMENT IN FOCUS AREA
90-DAYS: 10/18/21 - 1/16/22
Case Type Cases Arrests
Encampment 12
Outstanding Warrant 3 3
72-Hour Clean-up Notice 2
Drinking in Public 2 2
Possible Mail Theft 2
Robbery (pending investigation) 2 1
Mental Health Hold 1
Bench Warrant & Parole Violation 1 1
Fire Assist 1
Kidnapping, Battery, & Bringing a Controlled Substance into
Jail 1 1
Littering 1 1
Medical Assist 1
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia 1 1
Possession of Metal Knuckles and a Controlled Substance,
Prohibited Person in Possession of Ammunition, and 2
Misdemeanor Warrants
1 1
Trespassing & Battery on a Peace Officer 1 1
Trespassing 1 1
TOTAL 33 13
Overall, the Camping Ordinance is having a positive impact on deterring unlawful
camping, especially within the focus area. Coupled with the Department’s enforcement
efforts and the City’s new unlawful camping signage, homeless-related calls for services,
including calls related to unlawful camping, are decreasing. In addition, the Department’s
Homeless Engagement and Liaison Program (“HELP”) Team will continue to educate and
attempt to gain trust with individuals experiencing homelessness, which Officers
recognize has a direct influence on the homeless’ willingness to accept outreach services
and immediate resources. The HELP team will also make enforcement actions when
appropriate.
90-Day Report on Camping Enforcement Efforts
February 15, 2022
Page 7 of 7
It is recommended that the City continue to track camping enforcement efforts and report
back to the City Council in another 90 days with a subsequent progress report.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The proposed action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental
Quality Act (“CEQA”), and it can be seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the
environment. Thus, this matter is exempt under CEQA under Sections 15060(c)(2) and
15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines.
FISCAL IMPACT
There are costs associated with tracking camping enforcement efforts. Although there is
no fiscal impact on the General Fund, there are undetermined costs associated with the
staff time involved in tracking and analyzing the calls for service data. Currently, staff does
track the number of calls for service related to homelessness and camping issues, and
they range widely. These costs are absorbed within existing operations and budgets. It is
anticipated that with ongoing enforcement efforts, the number of contacts with individuals
experiencing homelessness will decrease, resulting in fewer interactions with Officers and
less incidents to track and analyze.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council determine that this action does not constitute a
project and is therefore, exempt under, the California Environmental Quality Act
(“CEQA”); and direct the City Manager to continue to track camping enforcement efforts
and report back to the City Council in 90 days with another progress report.
Attachments: “A” – No Camping City Signage
“B” – Camping Enforcement Map
No Camping N/A 10/20/21
Kevin
DevinArcadia
Arcadia Municipal Code §7872
Subject to Enforcement and Penalty
Report a Violation: (626) 574-5151
For more information on
Homeless Resources call 2-1-1
Or Visit ArcadiaCA.gov/homeless
Arcadia Municipal Code §7872
Subject to Enforcement and Penalty
Report a Violation: (626) 574-5151
For more information on Homeless Resources call 2-1-1
Or Visit ArcadiaCA.gov/homeless
NO CAMPING
NO FIRES
NO CAMPING
Park Playgrounds
Picnic Areas
Tables & Benches
Pavilions
Artificial Turf Areas
NO FIRES
Attachment "A"
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!(S 2nd AveS Baldwin AveW Duarte Rd
S Santa Anita AveW H u ntington D r
W Foothill Blvd
N Santa Anita AveEl Monte AveLas Tunas Dr N 2nd AveE Longden Ave
E L i ve Oa k Ave S Mayflower AveE Huntington Dr
W Longden Ave
E Duart e RdN Baldwin AveW Live Oak Ave
Peck RdArcadia City Boundary
Sphere of Influence
Parcels
Anti Camping Enforcement Areas!(
Streets
Anti CampingEnforcement Areas
City of Arcadia, California
Ü
00.51Miles
Data Sources: City of Arcadia,
County of Los Angeles
Date Created: January 10, 2021
Attachment "B"