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ASHEVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

SOP 3020 - Persons Experiencing Homelessness


Original Issue: 4/18/2014 Last Revision: 2/15/2022
Replaces: Homeless Persons SOP

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
DEFINITIONS
3020.1 GENERAL PROCEDURES
3020.2 ENCAMPMENTS
3020.3 ACTIVE ENCAMPMENTS

ASSOCIATED DIRECTIVES
Policy 501 - Crisis Intervention
Policy 503 - Incident Reporting
Policy 1502 - Property & Evidence

INTRODUCTION
This directive provides procedures for interaction with persons experiencing homelessness,
handling encampments, and providing information on outreach for assistance from social service
resources. The Asheville Police Department treats all persons, including those experiencing
homelessness, in a manner that respects their individual rights, human dignity, and community
values, while enforcing laws that protect life and property and sustain civic life.
DEFINITIONS
Homelessness: a person is considered to be experiencing homelessness if they lack a fixed,
regular, and adequate nighttime residence, meaning:
- Has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not meant for human
habitation (such as a car, abandoned building, park, or sidewalk).

- Is living in a shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements (such as an


emergency shelter, transitional housing, or hotel/motel paid for by a charitable or
governmental agency).
ASHEVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

- Is exiting an institution where they resided for ninety (90) days or less and resided in an
emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering
that institution.
Encampment: for this directive, a location where persons experiencing homelessness are
sleeping, making preparation to sleep (including the laying down of bedding for sleeping), and
associated activities, including the storing of personal belongings, making any fire, remaining at
or near any tent or other shelter, doing any digging or earth breaking or carrying on of cooking or
other activities in support of camping or living accommodations.
Active Encampment: an encampment that is occupied at the time of contact or has signs of recent
activity (i.e., burning fires, fresh food, recent mail).
Inactive Encampment: an encampment that is not occupied at the time of contact and has no
immediate appearance that anyone has been present in the immediate area.
Outreach: the initial and most critical step in connecting or reconnecting a person experiencing
homelessness to needed health, mental health, recovery, social, and housing services that involve
the process of engagement, assessing needs, defining service goals, or agreeing on a plan for
delivering those services.

3020.1 GENERAL PROCEDURES


A. Absent reasonable suspicion that a person experiencing homelessness is violating the law,
department members should approach these individuals as they would any other citizen.
Homelessness, on its own, does not constitute reasonable suspicion.

B. No items of personal property will be destroyed or discarded by officers. Persons


experiencing homelessness may keep personal belongings, including documents and
medications, in what might initially appear to be an item of refuse.

1. Department members will adhere to department policy regarding property and


evidence in the handling of any personal property.

2. No personal property will be searched or seized unless reasonable suspicion or


probable cause exists.

C. Whenever possible, persons experiencing homelessness may be provided information on


available health, mental health, recovery, social, and/or housing services.

D. Many persons experiencing homelessness may suffer from mental health and substance
abuse issues that are beyond their control. Officers should follow guidelines in Policy 501
- Crisis Intervention when interacting with persons in crisis.

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SOP 3020 - Homeless Persons
ASHEVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

3020.2 ENCAMPMENTS
A. The primary officer responding to any call for service where an encampment is present
will:

1. Determine if the encampment is on public (including city-owned) or private


property; this may be accomplished using the department’s Computer Aided
Dispatch (CAD) system or Buncombe GIS. Once the property status is
determined, the officer will document the location within the related CAD call
notes.

2. Determine if the encampment is active or inactive.

3. Complete an incident report if required by Policy 503 - Incident Reporting.

4. Document the encampment via department cell phone camera and send or share
the photographs with the Community Unit. Photographs should include any
significant items in the vicinity, such as erected tents, temporary structures,
dangerous weapons, dangerous materials, etc.

B. If the encampment is determined to be inactive, and no individuals are located on-site,


but the officer finds remaining sanitation issues or dangerous materials on the property
the officer will request the CAD nature code be changed to Ordinance Compliance for
further follow-up to be conducted by the Community Unit.

C. In all cases, before the conclusion of their shift, the primary responding officer will email
any related CAD event numbers and/or Incident Report numbers with a brief summary of
events to the Community Engagement Division and the officer’s direct supervisor. This
notification should include if no authorized agent for the property (city or private) was
contacted or action was taken due to exigent circumstances on city-owned property, see
3020.3.

D. The Community Unit will conduct any follow-up necessary through City of Asheville
Homelessness Services to facilitate outreach workers’ referral to the campsite.

3020.3 ACTIVE ENCAMPMENTS

A. If officers locate individuals in an active encampment on private property, the officers


will appropriately identify and document all persons present and attempt to contact the
property owner(s) during the call for service and determine if the individuals are
trespassing. If a property owner cannot be reached while the officer is on the scene, the
officer will defer to N.C. Gen. Stat. Ch. 14 Art. 22B and take the appropriate enforcement
action.

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ASHEVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

B. If officers locate individuals in an active encampment on city-owned property, the


officers will appropriately identify and document all persons present and:

1. Persons experiencing homelessness may be asked to relocate immediately for any


safety or security reasons. This includes but is not limited to, any impediment to
pedestrian or vehicular traffic, unsanitary conditions, fire hazards, etc.

2. Determine if any City of Asheville “no trespassing” signage is present. If present,


notify the individuals that they have 24 hours to vacate the property. However,
any persons present on posted city property past a designated closing time may be
charged with trespassing in accordance with N.C. Gen. Stat. Ch. 14 Art. 22B
without prior notice.

3. If signage is not present on the scene, the officer will make a 24-hour notification
and then attempt to make contact with an authorized agent of the premises
designated by the city department responsible for the property. This information
will be maintained and updated by the department’s Community Unit in the CAD
Premise Notes.

4. After 24 hours or soon thereafter, officers will return to the site and enforce
accordingly based on N.C. Gen. Stat. Ch. 14 Art. 22B or take any other
appropriate action.

5. If not documented in an incident report, officers will document the individuals


present through a Field Contact report in RMS and pass the information onto the
Community Unit.

6. Officers may refer individuals to the Community Unit for follow-up with local
providers and resources if needed.

BY ORDER OF:

David Zack
Chief of Police

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SOP 3020 - Homeless Persons

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