Santa Monica is in trouble

Ya.. They can only.issue citations.
Ya.. And when they don’t pay the citation(s) a warrant is issued to be brought before the issuing authority who can impose a jail sentence. Also, where does it say in the decision that an officer can’t order an offender to move on since they have now committed an illegal act witnessed by the officer?
 
Ya.. And when they don’t pay the citation(s) a warrant is issued to be brought before the issuing authority who can impose a jail sentence. Also, where does it say in the decision that an officer can’t order an offender to move on since they have now committed an illegal act witnessed by the officer?
That's not how you read decisions from SCOTUS. Their ruling is very narrow. Besides towns don't want to jail these people because there's no room and it causes more problems. Officers don't want to spend all day issuing citations either.
 
That's not how you read decisions from SCOTUS. Their ruling is very narrow. Besides towns don't want to jail these people because there's no room and it causes more problems. Officers don't want to spend all day issuing citations either.
I know how to read decisions and you made my point by stating that their decision is narrow, meaning it is left to individual municipalities how to deal with their issues beyond “they can only issue citations”.
 
It is not just in CA either. Here in GA there is a massive lack of mental treatment bedspace.

The City Cops don't care

Up until very recently, they had a wonderful charge of 'Urban Camping' that they could use to snatch people up and make me deal with them. Of course, now they just use 'loitering'.

Our county guys are much more laid back. Unless you're doing something dumb or actually illegal, they'll leave you alone.

There's also a giant lack of humanity. Case(s) in point.

In the last year, we have had to deal with two individuals, both of them operating on about a 5 year old mental level. Their families kept them around for the disability check, until the families figured out that when they threw a fit, they could send them off to jail where we would watch them, while they still collected the check. In the meantime, none of us are trained to handle constant outbreaks and people to which logic doesn't work.

Our medical department was finally able to get the checks stopped, at which point the family threw a fit, but by then we'd arranged to place them in a mental hospital for long term care. If they ever get out of long-term care, they will be homeless most likely.

The courts don't care either.

We recently had another female, again operating at a reduced mental level that had thrown a fit at the local hospital, leading to her arrest. This time she was with us the entire way through the court proceedings, and somehow the court both found her competent to stand trial, and tried her as a fully functioning adult, then sent down orders for her to be released to the street (she'd been in custody some time). Of course, getting no money from the state, her family wasn't interested in dealing with her.

Ohh, they also put her on probation where she had to report to the local probation office on a weekly basis. Something she A. Didn't understand, and B. had no way on gods green earth to accomplish.

We absolutely bent over backwards and went outside our mandate and eventually got her placed somewhere, something the court should have done.

Again, had we not been acutely aware of her issues and bent over backwards to get her help, add another one to the homeless population for our area.

If you want a frustrating career as a normal functioning human being, work in the world of detention (not prisons, local pre-trial detention centers). If it doesn't make you reevaluate how this country handles people, you're probably not human.


....and there I go, flying off on a tangent again.
Preach brother. Kinda sums up the last ten years of my career.

Its everywhere folks, and will continue until we get enough people to care.
 
I think this is happening everywhere. Downtown Victoria has become somewhat barren the last few years, with businesses continuing to close. People don't feel safe anymore. There's a huge homeless encampment and the vast majority are mentally ill to the point they should probably be in an institution but there is nowhere for them to go. Cops don't arrest them anymore because they know the courts will release immediately, over and over again. There was a bike chop shop set up right across the street from the Police Station and they didn't do anything about it.
I been to Victoria a few times and loved it. The last time was 2013 and the only homeless I saw was next to the Salvation Army place in downtown. I guess Victoria and Vancouver are off my list. ☹️
 
Here's an idea.

The USA buys a portion of land overseas, such as a small part of El Salvador.

We bring the very worst of California criminals down there. Hire the government there to handle the prisoners so long as they follow our rules.

We begin incarcerating and outsourcing until the streets are cleared and the communities our safe.

No apologies. No regrets.
Good idea but that is what the South American nations are doing to us, emptying their prisons and sending them here.
 
It's complicated. SCOTUS has ruled that it's illegal to punish someone for being homeless and on public property. The solution is private property. Then it becomes trespassing.
You have this ruling backward. SCOTUS ruled that homeless people CAN be punished for sleeping in public spaces.
 
Which case? They recently ruled that a town (City of Grants Pass vs Johnson ) could issue citations but that's it. They can't relocate them.

In this case the city had a camping ban law in place, and the ruling allows the people to imprisoned if they continually violate the law.
It's not just a matter of issuing a ticket.

"Violators face fines starting at $295, and repeat offenders may be banned from a city park for 30 days. If a person violates that order by camping in a park, they are subject to criminal trespass charges, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,250 fine. According to the city, more than 500 citations were issued from 2013 to 2018 for violations of the anti-camping ordinances."
 
You have this ruling backward. SCOTUS ruled that homeless people CAN be punished for sleeping in public spaces.
Well I don't view issuing a citation as punishment as they say you can't squeeze blood from a turnup. Punishment would be kicking someone out of city or county limits or sending someone to prison. A large portion of the homeless prefer to live the way they do.
 
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I was just there last year...stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado...it was great!
Been there done that - would not expect that side of the tracks to change as much …
There were some F/A18 Hornets buzzing low/loud - I liked them - she did not 🧐 LoL …
 
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