Council debates 'prohibited lodging out of doors' ordinance; staff told to draft six‑month sunset trial

The Hagerstown City Council spent the longest portion of its work session debating a proposed ordinance, retitled by staff from "anti‑camping" to "prohibited lodging out of doors," that would create a new enforcement tool for people who establish sleeping or sheltering activity on city‑owned outdoor property.

Chief Paul Greifer of the Hagerstown Police Department and Sergeant Ed Plummer described the change in language and the limited scope: "We don't want people to think that camping is the recreational sport... the actual wording of 'prohibited lodging out of doors' kind of explains it," Sergeant Plummer said. Chief Greifer said the measure is meant as an additional, narrowly used tool and "is not a silver bullet" for homelessness. He added it is intended for rare, repeat or combative situations in public spaces that currently fall into enforcement gaps.

Councilmembers expressed concerns about criminalizing homelessness, the availability of social services and the burden on police. Councilwoman Burnett and others pressed for more data on the population affected and on service alternatives; Chief Greifer and staff said they would provide data and described existing outreach, social‑service referrals and recent coordination with community partners. Officer and liaison staff noted that officers carry resource guides and routinely offer social‑service referrals at contact.

After discussion, council directed staff to prepare an ordinance with a six‑month sunset/trial period and to return to council with reporting and recommended data points for evaluation. Council members said the trial will allow the city to capture contact counts, compliance rates and follow‑up outcomes before deciding whether to make the ordinance permanent. Police leaders said the department treats this as a last‑resort tool and that officers will continue to prioritize voluntary referrals and non‑criminal interventions.

Speakers emphasized the tension between addressing repeat public‑space impacts and avoiding punitive outcomes for people in need. "This is just a tool," Chief Greifer said. "I wish there were other resources that we could do that we didn't have to put this out... but the reality is those are independent organizations and agencies that are gonna abide by the rules they have and their money that they get through those grants is very specific about how they can spend it." Community members and several councilmembers urged continued collaboration with the local homeless coalition and other service providers during the ordinance trial.