SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Spokane Valley is attempting to crack down on illegal camping in public parks.
There are roughly 20 public parks in Spokane Valley that are open every day.
Spokane Valley officials have proposed an ordinance to increase the penalties for sleeping in those parks once the sun sets.
“public property is really not the appropriate place for people to live and so these ordinances do provide for the ability to arrest them,” said Erik Lamb, Deputy City Manager.
The proposed ordinance would change the penalty from an infraction to a misdemeanor, with a punishment of up to 90 days in jail or a $1,000 fine.
“There are a lot of reasons why we want to make that change. We have a number of issues with graffiti and vandalism in parks after hours,” said Lamb. “We are just putting out park regulations to align with our camping regulations.”
According to the city, between January and September, 5 people a night were found sleeping in the parks, with only 43 arrested.
Lamb said the city doesn’t want arrest to be the first option.
“If somebody is experiencing homelessness and they are found to violate either our camping regulations or the park regulations, we have outreach teams, we have a dedicated homeless service deputy, and we have an in-house and homeless coordinator, and all of them will be called out, when they are available to engage with that person,” he said.
Help could include directing the person in need to a shelter bed or placement in a substance-use facility.
“Our team and our city and our council’s approach has always been we want to get people to help and into the resources they need to get out of their situation and help pick themselves up,” said Lamb.
Spokane Valley City Council is on their first read of the ordinance and looking for public comment. There will be a second read before the final vote.
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