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Lancaster Police report 381 encampment cleanups, expand drone, ranger and outreach work
Summary
Lancaster Police told the Criminal Justice Commission the Public Spaces Division conducted 381 encampment cleanups in 2024, removed roughly 5,405 tons of trash and expanded drone missions and ranger patrols while investigations into grow houses and smoke shops continue.
Andrew, a Public Spaces Division representative for the Lancaster Police Department, told the Lancaster Criminal Justice Commission that the city's Public Spaces Division responded to 381 homeless encampments in 2024 and removed about 5,405 tons of trash, a 17% increase from 2023.
The presentation described the division's mix of services: outreach to offer housing and social services, daily boulevard cleanups to keep business corridors clear, city rangers who patrol parks and facilities, a special investigations unit that handles illegal cannabis grows and unlicensed care homes, and the VIPER drone program that supports warrants and community events.
"The homeless outreach team in 2024, we hit 381 encampments," Andrew said. He also summarized the department's remediation work on grow houses and other hazardous properties: the department executed eight grow-house warrants in 2024 and is actively handling 89 grow-house cases, and it performed about 60 remediation inspections.
Why it matters: the Public Spaces Division's cleanup and outreach intersect homelessness, public health and downtown business operations; the commission and some commissioners framed the work as both a public-safety and quality-of-life effort for Lancaster City.
Details of programs and numbers provided to the commission included: the VIPER drone program conducted 162 missions, including 28 warrant assists and 14 community events; rangers documented thousands of patrol hours; smoke-shop inspections (five cases) were initiated later in the year and are still under investigation; and the department reported 11 inspections of suspected unlicensed elderly-care facilities.
On encampment procedures and property, Andrew said the department posts notice before cleanups and allows occupants to remove personal items. He said most items removed are soiled or hazardous and "about 95%" of collected debris is sent to the landfill; items of apparent value (for example a driver's license) are booked into evidence and kept for 90 days in compliance with state law.
Vice Chair Little asked about the status of the smoke-shop inspections; Andrew said those inspections remain ongoing and the department could not yet report final outcomes. Commissioners and other meeting participants praised the Public Spaces team's work in the field and asked the department to raise any recommendations the commission might forward to the city council.
The department asked commissioners to share priorities that could be referred to council; commissioners discussed possibilities including further engagement with property owners and targeted problem-area work.
Ending: commissioners thanked staff for the presentation and outreach work and encouraged the Public Spaces Division to return with follow-ups on ongoing investigations and any recommendations for council action.
