Finance Committee grills police on downtown encampments, approves invitation to police chief

The Brockton Finance Committee on March 3 invited Police Chief Brenda Perez or her designee to brief the committee on the Brockton Police Department’s strategy for enforcement and implementation of the city ordinances prohibiting camping on public property and prohibiting loitering in public places. Lieutenant William Schleeman of the department’s Community Engagement Unit appeared on behalf of Chief Perez and described current tactics, community partners and outstanding needs.

Schleeman said the department has deployed plainclothes officers in unmarked cars on all three shifts to downtown areas and has used those officers to arrest people for a range of offenses, from public drinking to drug distribution and outstanding warrants. “We do mitigate our enforcement with that compassion, with that humanitarian piece of it,” he said, adding that officers refer people to service providers when possible.

Schleeman listed several operational measures and partner resources:

- Plainclothes/enforcement: plainclothes officers and unmarked cars deployed across shifts, producing arrests for misdemeanor and felony offenses.

- Clinicians: the department has clinicians assigned a combined 64 hours per week; the clinicians can assist in crises and make referrals but are not case managers and cannot follow individuals through long‑term care.

- Day center grant: Schleeman said he had been informed that BAMSI received a roughly $300,000 grant to open a downtown day center; he had not seen grant paperwork come through the police department and said he was unsure whether the funding routed through the city or the agency.

- Community court: the department is planning to use an upcoming community court operating out of Brockton District Court; the idea is to have a resource table at the court so people arrested for low‑level offenses can access services and diversion programs.

- Cameras and signage: currently only one bridge is covered by a camera; police and DPW are working with IT to expand cameras downtown and have asked the MBTA to replace vandalized no‑trespassing signs under bridges.

- DPW involvement and cleanups: DPW crews join police three times per week to clear and clean bridge areas; Father Bill's Mainspring is discussing small storage options downtown so people can secure valuables during daytime hours.

Schleeman described targeted encampment clearances on White Avenue and the West Side and said the department will clear an encampment at Westgate Mall on private property. He also cautioned that enforcement can displace people to other neighborhoods, saying, “What I’m seeing right now is the issues that we’re addressing downtown, we’re just displacing them other places.”

Councilors pressed for more social‑service resources, housing and a stronger court pipeline. Councilor Thompson said enforcement alone would not solve the problem and urged a rehabilitative pathway in court: “There has to be multiple vectors of attack ... there has to be a process that's not punitive, but it's rehabilitative.” Councilor Tavares and others described practical barriers in the shelter system, limited housing availability and obstacles for people with criminal records.

Committee members said they support a downtown‑focused quality‑of‑life task force, additional social workers and coordination with county and state partners. The committee voted to recommend that Chief Brenda Perez or her designee appear before the finance committee to discuss enforcement and implementation of the camping and loitering ordinances; the motion passed unanimously. Members said they will seek updates from the district attorney’s office once the community court is active and asked that the police and city continue coordination with DPW and social‑service providers.