RPCC member Gerrie Flaven attends monthly Mid-City Homeless Coalition meetings and provided this update from Neighborhood Policing on their preferred way to report homeless encampments.

Neighborhood Policing Practices (updated 1/13/21)

RPCC member Gerrie Flaven attends monthly meetings of the Mid-City Homeless Coalition and provided this update from Neighborhood Policing on their preferred way to report homeless encampments.

1. Continue to submit Get It Done reports for 72-hour parking violations for oversized RVs and other vehicles.

• Continue to submit Get It Done reports for RVs and other vehicles in which people are living. Neighborhood Policing considers the circumstances of each vehicle and how they can intervene.

• Because of state COVID restrictions, there are legal issues concerning enforcement against parked or “inhabited” vehicles. A legal determination is expected shortly that will give SDPD Neighborhood Policing clearer direction on how to intervene in these situations.

2. Get It Done reports concerning homeless encampments are the preferred way to request help from SDPD Neighborhood Policing as reports go directly to them. Neighborhood Policing is the designated San Diego Police Division for concerns about homeless living in our neighborhoods.

• One Get It Done report per encampment is sufficient. If encampments are close by but on separate streets or more than 20 feet apart, please submit a report for each encampment.
• The information you describe in the Get It Done report is more important to Neighborhood Policing than sending in more than one report per encampment. These reports are screened 7 days per week within one day of them being reported.

3. If you are only reporting a homeless encampment, use Get It Done. Neighborhood Policing will respond and has more resources to address homeless encampments (including being accompanied by trash collection).

• You can contact the SDPD non-emergency phone (619) 531-2000 if you need to report a crime or disturbance but definitely call 911 for any situation related to homeless encampments that warrants an emergency call.
• Although Neighborhood Policing has a public email address, NeighborhoodPolicing@pd.sandiego.gov, Get It Done reports are reviewed more quickly than email reports. Get It Done reports are reviewed by Neighborhood Policing on a daily basis; email reports are not.

4. An email to Neighborhood Policing is a good way to give additional information for a Get It Done report that was already submitted. It’s also a good way to ask for follow up on an already submitted report.