Chelan County Sheriff’s Office to Present Encampment Resolution
The Chelan County Sheriff's Office is drafting a resolution amid public concern about a growing homeless encampment.
If approved, the resolution would empower authorities to "lawfully" disband the encampment, according to Sheriff Mike Morrison.
Visible homelessness is a recurring issue in Chelan County. It's customary for the Sheriff's Office to respond with force, to roust the homeless from public spaces; Morrison touts this custom in a press release.
"Other encampments have been addressed swiftly in other parts of the county," Morrison writes. He points to the recent ejection of rough sleepers from property owned by BNSF.
Partly as a result of widespread "displacement," the homeless are increasingly flocking to county-owned land near Hodges Rd., just north of Malaga-Alcoa Highway. Morrison says this affords them a degree of immunity, so to speak. Sheriff's Office dictates are not enforceable.
Says Morrison, "There are no rules in place that authorize the Sheriff’s Office to take action. The Chelan County Board of County Commissioners has not yet adopted a resolution to address the removal of un-housed individuals from county-owned property in compliance with recent legal standards" like the hotly debated Grants Pass ruling.
"In response to this, we are actively working with the Chelan County Prosecutor’s Office to draft a resolution for the Board of County Commissioners to review."
Morrison says the proposed resolution, while tough-minded, doesn't discount the necessity of government supports.
"Our plan includes collaborating with Public Works to clean the property, working with Chelan County Coordinated Entry and our Behavioral Health Unit to connect displaced individuals with available resources."
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Gallery Credit: Stephanie Gull