Homeless Camp Atop Amtrak Station 'Unsafe,' Dismantled: Police

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — The Antioch Police Department went to new heights last week fulfilling its duty to ensure the safety of residents — in this case, a member of the city's homeless population who'd set up a tent atop the Amtrak train station on I Street. The rooftop perch with a view of the San Joaquin River was discovered when a passerby saw someone who appeared to be a transient lowering a bicycle off the top of the station and, out of concern, called the Antioch Police Department.

An officer responded to the station and found that someone indeed had set up an "unsafe camp on the roof," Antioch police said in a Facebook post.

With the assistance of the city's public works department, Officer Lenderman accessed the rooftop via a boom truck and, due to safety concerns, immediately abated the camp, police said.

"Homelessness is not a crime and we try to get our homeless citizens into services so they can have a stable environment," police added.

When volunteers hit the streets for a point-in-time count of unsheltered homeless in the city of Antioch in 2017, it was found that 137 people were living outside.

Photos via Antioch Police Department