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Brighton council begins downtown homelessness discussion; police urge services-first approach alongside targeted enforcement
Summary
City officials told Brighton's City Council that enforcement alone will not solve visible homelessness downtown and urged a coordinated, services-first strategy paired with targeted enforcement for criminal behavior.
City officials and the Brighton Police Department told the City Council on July 8 that enforcement alone will not resolve the visible homelessness and related quality-of-life complaints in the downtown business district, and urged a coordinated, services-first approach paired with targeted enforcement when laws are broken.
"An enforcement first mechanism is really not a reasonable solution to addressing a lot of these issues," the Police Chief said during a presentation that reviewed common complaints: loitering, camping, public urination or defecation, discarded drug paraphernalia, and aggressive behavior.
The chief said Brighton and neighboring jurisdictions lack substantial local shelter capacity, and that many of the people officers contact "don't want to leave Brighton." The department said…
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