Police Clear Out 5 Homeless Encampments Along Petaluma River

PETALUMA, CA -- Five homeless encampments have been cleared out from vacant property on Cedar Grove Parkway in Petaluma. According to a statement from Petaluma police, a majority of the encampments were near the banks of the Petaluma River.

From 8 a.m. until noon Thursday, Petaluma officers and homeless outreach workers cooperated in what was described as a "large-scale abatement" to facilitate SMART rail crossings. More than 20 yards of wood debris, garbage and waste were reportedly removed from the illegal encampments.

"An outreach worker from the Mary Isaak Center was on hand to offer assistance to any homeless individuals located in the area," said Petaluma Homeless Outreach Services Team Officer Zilverio Rivera.

The five large-scale homeless encampments abated from vacant property on Cedar Grove Parkway had been visited in the days prior, Rivera said. Instructions to vacate were posted and Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) officers individually contacted all of the occupants.

"At the beginning of the abatement four homeless subjects were still in the area and all were contacted by outreach workers," Rivera said. "The subjects were offered a variety of services from outreach workers."

The abatement operation comes after the Petaluma Police Department was awarded a $500,000 CalRecycle grant in December 2015 to fund a full-time police officer for two years, whose job would be to abate and dispose of the illegal encampments, police said.

Petaluma Police Officer Ryan DeBaeke was selected in January 2016 to serve as the department’s full-time Homeless Outreach Services Team Officer. DeBaeke works collaboratively with outreach workers from COTS, Mary Isaak Center, Santa Rosa Catholic Charities and several other organizations working to provide housing and services to the homeless population, police said.

The Petaluma Police Department says it will add another additional full-time HOST officer to the team in July "in an effort to rid the city of these illegal campsites and to provide the homeless population with resources to assist them with getting back on their feet."

"Many of the illegal campsites often have human waste, refuse, debris, furniture, contraband and hazardous materials," Rivera said. "Many of the camps are located along the banks of Petaluma waterways. These camps pose a significant threat to public health, public safety, and the environment."

Police said Petaluma citizens can report such encampments to HOST officers Ryan DeBaeke and Zilverio Rivera by phone at 707-778-4455 or email at Rdebaeke@ci.petaluma.ca.us or Zrivera@ci.petaluma.ca.us.

Photos courtesy of Petaluma Police Department