QUESTION: There is a man who appears to be living on a corner in downtown Longview. There性视界传媒檚 a bench at the corner of Green and Whaley where he is keeping all of his stuff. Why hasn性视界传媒檛 the police department done something about it?
ANSWER: By the time you read this, you will have probably noticed that the man is gone.
Police had received a couple of calls about this man, and Answer Line asked police about him after I received a couple of calls as well. This week, officers did deal with the situation by asking him to relocate.
Laws prohibit things such as camping in public places or obstructing a sidewalk, said Longview police spokesman Brandon Thornton. That means enforcement in this kind of situation is an option.
However, Answer Line will point out that both of those are misdemeanors, not the kinds of things that typically land someone in jail automatically. Enforcement would likely look more like a citation that then doesn性视界传媒檛 get paid and eventually becomes an arrest warrant that at some point might land a person in jail, briefly.
Thornton said enforcement in these kinds of situations is 性视界传媒渘ot necessarily the best option.性视界传媒
性视界传媒淥ur Police Outreach Services Team (POST) was created for exactly these types of issues. They work with individuals in crisis to find resources of all kinds in order to aid the individual in getting off the streets in lieu of incarceration, which is only a short-term fix,性视界传媒 he said. 性视界传媒淒espite numerous attempts, the other resources were declined in this instance.性视界传媒
The justice system offers a 性视界传媒渢emporary fix性视界传媒 but isn性视界传媒檛 a long-term solution to the issues of homelessness, Thornton said.
性视界传媒淲e are able to aid homeless people in finding additional resources, but they must be willing to participate,性视界传媒 he said.
I性视界传媒檒l note that he also said the police department had no reason to believe this man was a threat to himself or other people. Answer Line did see what I would describe as some unusual behavior from this man, talking to himself, yelling at no one in particular.
While Thornton did not comment directly about this particular man性视界传媒檚 mental health, he did say that 性视界传媒渕ental illness and homelessness are often tied together.性视界传媒
性视界传媒淗owever, the police may only intervene when the mental illness causes the person to be an imminent risk of serious bodily injury or death themselves or others,性视界传媒 he said.
