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Fort Smith study session focuses on homelessness, policing data and a proposed anti‑camping ordinance
Summary
City directors, police and homeless‑service providers discussed rising calls for service, consolidation of services at shelter campuses and a proposed ordinance limiting sleeping or camping in public; no ordinance vote was taken during the March 11 study session.
Fort Smith city directors and service providers spent a study session discussing homelessness, police calls for service in the downtown entertainment district and proposals for an ordinance that would restrict sleeping or camping on public sidewalks.
City staff and the police department presented data showing frequent police responses near shelters and downtown. Police Chief Baker and crime analyst Pam Miller described the data sources and limitations, and shelter operators and downtown business representatives urged the city to coordinate services and consider enforcement tools.
Miller said the department’s downtown maps include all calls for service from 2022 to 2025 and that some counts — for example, the downtown entertainment district — include traffic incidents and officer‑initiated contacts, which can inflate measures tied specifically to homelessness. A city staff summary presented…
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