Surprise city officials have reinstated an urban camping ban allowing police to issue citations to people sleeping in public spaces, even when they don’t have access to homeless shelters.
Surprise City Council voted to re-establish its urban camping ordinance this past week. Earlier this year, a Supreme Court decision said a city’s civil and criminal enforcement of camping bans in public areas does not result in the cruel and unusual punishment of homeless people.
Surprise Police Chief Benny Piña says help will be provided through the ordinance.
“We’ll deal with them with services first because if they’ve got a co-occurring condition such as a mental health issue or a drug addiction, then we’ll seek services for them,” he said.
Councilmember Jack Hastings says support for law enforcement will keep the community secure.
“We don’t want it to wait until it gets out of control like we see in Phoenix — now, obviously, their situation is different — before we do anything. I think part of that is empowering you guys to keep our streets safe,” he said.
A partnership with the Phoenix Rescue Mission will help with street outreach efforts.
Nearly 50 unsheltered people were found in Surprise when the county made its latest annual Point-In-Time Homelessness Count.
Violation of the Surprise city ordinance is a Class 1 misdemeanor, which includes a fine of up to $2,500 and six months in jail. The ordinance is expected to take effect on Dec. 4.
