Policy Text
Policy
426Garden Grove Police Department
Policy Manual
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/05/24, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Garden Grove Police
DepartmentSpecial Resource Team (Homeless Persons)
- 1Special Resource Team (Homeless Persons)
426.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that personnel understand the needs and rights of the
homeless and to establish procedures to guide officers during all contacts with the homeless,
whether consensual or for enforcement purposes. The Garden Grove Police Department
recognizes that members of the homeless community are often in need of special protection and
services. The Garden Grove Police Department will address these needs in balance with the
overall mission of this department.
The goal of the Special Resource Team (SRT) is to improve the quality of life for the citizens,
businesses and patrons of the City of Garden Grove. Through civic and community resources,
the SRT will provide an individualized approach toward solving community issues. As a support
element to patrol activities, the SRT will respond to calls for service related to, but not limited to:
•Transient/homeless
•Vagrancy
•Mental health issues.
To address the specific needs of a culturally diverse community, the SRT will specialize in creating
a partnership with organizations dedicated toward assisting persons with conditions or in situations
that require specific needs.
426.1.1 POLICY
It is the policy of the Garden Grove Police Department to provide law enforcement services
to all members of the community, while protecting the rights, dignity and private property of
the homeless. Homelessness is not a crime and members of this department will not use
homelessness solely as a basis for detention or law enforcement action.
The SRT will add another dimension to the Garden Grove Police Department's Community
Orientated Policing philosophy. Whereas individuals have their own individualized needs and
desires, with the assistance of outreach programs such as, but not limited to, mental and
behavioral health, Veterans assistance, faith groups, rehabilitation programs, shelter projects,
animal groups, victims assistance programs, support groups, law enforcement, and many others,
the SRT will utilize and coordinate a direct and individualized approach to finding solutions, as
available, for the growing needs in the City of Garden Grove.
426.2 PROCEDURE
With specialized training, resource contacts, and individualized responses to specific situations,
the SRT will be the primary response element to address, document, and provide the appropriate
services in transient/homeless and mental health situations. All medical information shall be kept
confidential and every attempt to ensure the privacy of this information will be made by SRT
officers.
Garden Grove Police Department
Policy Manual
Special Resource Team (Homeless Persons)
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2022/05/24, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by Garden Grove Police
DepartmentSpecial Resource Team (Homeless Persons)
- 2426.3 FIELD CONTACTS
Officers are encouraged to contact the homeless for purposes of rendering aid, support and for
community-oriented policing that may include, but not limited to document alternative contact
information. This may include obtaining addresses and telephone numbers of relatives and friends.
Document places the person may frequent. Consider whether the person may be a dependent
adult or elder, and if so proceed in accordance with the Adult Protective Services and/or Elder
Abuse policies. Consider whether a crime should be reported and submitted for prosecution,
even when a homeless victim indicates that he/she does not desire prosecution. Whenever patrol
officers contact homeless persons, the officers are encouraged to provide them with a referral to
the SRT members for individualized needs assessment.
Nothing in this policy is meant to dissuade an officer from taking reasonable enforcement action
when facts support a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.
The SRT officer will be assigned as a field response and special enforcement element. Officers will
maintain a uniformed appearance and be easily recognized as police officers in the community.
426.4 PERSONAL PROPERTY
The personal property of homeless persons must not be treated differently than the property
of other members of the public. Therefore, when a homeless person is arrested, detained,
transported or otherwise not available to care for the protection of their property, officers should
make accommodations to permit the person to lawfully secure his/her property. Otherwise, the
personal property should be collected for safekeeping.
The following procedures for the removal of personal property shall be followed when the owner
of the property is not present or has abandoned the property:
(a) Create an incident call number to document the call/contact
(b) Clearly mark/tag the property in a visible location for the owner to be notified of the
pending removal
(c) Contact the Garden Grove Pubic Works division and provide the Incident number,
date and time of marking, address or described location of the property and description
of items to be removed
(d)When possible, attempt to contact the owner (if known) to notify them of the marking
for removal
(e)Document the location, approximate amount of property and (if contacted) the owners
identifying information in the call ticket "notes".
(f)Clear the incident call number (2X)
When a transient/homeless person's property is present, or left unattended in a public place,
officers will post a notice in a visible place, attached to the property, notifying the owner of the
removal and storage of the property. After clearly marking the property for removal, the owner
will be provided no less than 24 hours' time to gather the belongings and remove them from the
location. If the property remains in its original location, and no efforts have been taken to remove
Garden Grove Police Department
Policy Manual
Special Resource Team (Homeless Persons)
Copyright