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SPD reports rising unlawful‑camping citations, leadership changes and behavioral‑health strain
Summary
Chief Hall briefed the committee on calls for service trends, enforcement of unlawful camping, behavioral health unit hours and a reorganization elevating three assistant chiefs.
Chief Hall told the Public Safety Committee that overall calls for service in the year‑to‑date are slightly up over last year, with priority responses remaining timely.
Hall highlighted specific enforcement activity: in January the department issued 85 citations for unlawful camping (largely tied to viaduct enforcement) and 117 pedestrian‑interference citations. He said arrests are increasing, driven in part by citation activity in the downtown core, and that drug calls show a modest decline. Hall said vehicle‑related calls and abandoned‑vehicle reports warrant follow‑up analysis.
On behavioral health response, Hall said the department’s behavioral health unit operates primarily daytime hours (roughly 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) because its provider partners do not operate evenings; he and councilmembers discussed gaps in after‑hours coverage. Hall said officers receive Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training to handle incidents when the BHU is not available.
Hall notified the committee of personnel and organizational changes: the department has a staffing budget of $3.55 million and current funded strength at $3.28 million, leaving 22 vacancies. He said the department appointed three assistant chiefs — Captain Steve Wool (formerly downtown division), Major Dave Singley, and Captain Matt Cowles (south side) — and will backfill captain and lieutenant vacancies. Hall said response times for priority calls are “under five minutes” and expressed confidence in current response performance while noting continuing challenges with downtown and quality‑of‑life calls.
Council members asked whether the behavioral health unit is 24/7 (Hall said it is not), about coordination with county services and whether the county’s withdrawal had driven separation of teams. Hall confirmed the county and city are now operating separate teams but retain aligned hours. Members asked about citations, RV enforcement and coordination with ICE concerns; Hall said SPD is not calling ICE to collisions and offered to follow up on footage provided by a councilmember.
The committee also discussed a voluntary data‑sharing effort (a “real time crime index”) that SPD joined to compare city data with other jurisdictions.
