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Committee advances urban-camping ordinance with police to draft SOP and joint policy reference
Summary
PECS advanced an ordinance amending the county code to address public safety, unauthorized camping and nuisance behaviors. Commissioners required a reference to an earlier joint policy statement on homelessness and asked Police and Law to produce an SOP explaining operational implementation, clarifying that arrest is a last resort.
Chair Nicole Messia introduced agenda item 2026-0550, an ordinance amending DeKalb County's code to address public-safety concerns related to drifting, unauthorized camping and nuisance behavior. DeKalb Police Chief Padrick told the committee he had reviewed the ordinance with legal and was prepared to enforce it if the board adopted it.
Commissioner Robert Patrick expressed that the county must balance public-safety enforcement with compassion and existing homelessness services; he noted recent county investments in shelters and outreach. Commissioner Terry and others pressed for a written standard operating procedure explaining how officers would implement 24-hour notice requirements and how outreach would be coordinated before property removal. "Arrest is always a last resort," Chief Padrick said, adding that the department would not change its practice but would produce policies consistent with the ordinance. Commissioner Terry emphasized concerns about diverting people to jail rather than treatment and requested an SOP and references to diversion-center options.
To address those concerns, Commissioner Patrick moved to advance the ordinance to the full board with added language referencing the county's joint policy statement addressing homelessness; the committee seconded and approved the motion. Legal staff agreed to work with police to draft the referenced materials and return them to the committee. Commissioners stressed that nothing in the ordinance requires automatic arrest and that officer discretion remains central to enforcement.
