City Council members on May 22 raised concerns about increased panhandling, camping and visible homelessness in downtown Murfreesboro and asked police and staff to consider a mix of signage, increased patrol hours and coordinated outreach to service providers.

Mayor and council members described several recent incidents downtown and at the farmers market that have made residents and merchants uneasy. One council member said, “we've had an uptick again in panhandling, on a lot of our our corners,” and asked whether the police department had the staffing and budget to respond. The council member also asked staff to explore signage models used by other cities; staff noted Bowling Green and Knoxville signage examples.

Police Chief Bowman addressed the council with operational detail and strategy. The chief said the department has co‑responder and focused outreach teams and estimated a local homeless population “between 300 to 600 people.” He said, “I think we have to change our strategy some,” and described plans to assign specific missions across units — one focused on mental health contacts, another on camping and trespass enforcement, and another on panhandling — and to increase coverage during nighttime hours and during the Saturday farmers market.

Why it matters: council members said the visible activity can make residents feel unsafe and can deter visitors from downtown businesses. Council members emphasized they want to balance compassionate services with public safety enforcement for chronic offenders and locations that threaten public safety.

Council and staff discussed tools and limits. Officials noted that some service providers offer meals and other temporary services that can unintentionally concentrate people in specific downtown locations. Several council members suggested providing businesses with signage stating that panhandling is not permitted at private storefronts; staff said the city can provide examples and consider a workshop to develop a signage approach. Chief Bowman encouraged direct reports of incidents to police to enable immediate responses and said arrests are “fairly low” because the department prioritizes long‑term solutions over short‑term detention.

The council asked staff to: collect example signage used by peer cities; consider adding low‑level metal detectors or other building configuration adjustments as part of a planned downstairs remodel of city hall; and continue coordination with social‑service agencies so outreach workers understand enforcement patterns and signage. The council did not adopt any ordinance or formal policy change during the session; staff said they will include signage ideas and outreach coordination in follow‑up work and consider expanding targeted patrols as training graduates join the force.