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SANTA CRUZ, Calif- The Santa Cruz Police Department has teamed up with Parks & Recreation and Public Works to form a task force to help curb the problem of illegal camping in the city.
Over the next 30 to 45 days extra personnel and resources will be used to identify where people are camping illegally and eradicating the campsites.
The formation of the task force comes after concerns over increased fire dangers, sanitation, environmental degradation and public safety, said the police department in a news release.
According to the police department, some of the people who have been cited in the past for illegal camping are repeat offenders. "Currently there are 124 individuals identified as having 3 or more "Failures to Appear" on Municipal Code citations, with 691 outstanding violations, " said the police department.
The Police Department has setup a Hotline for community members to call over the next 30-45 days and report illegal campsites. Reported campsites will be put on the list in order of priority to be addressed. The Hotline number is (831) 420-5892.
