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Council, police discuss rising downtown panhandling and homelessness response; signage and increased patrols proposed
Summary
Council members flagged a renewed uptick in downtown panhandling and camping and discussed options including signage, increased police presence during markets and evenings, a focused homeless response unit and outreach coordination with social‑service agencies.
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…
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