Regular patrols urged at campsites near UA

ROGERS — Regular police patrols of homeless encampments would address reports of violence on undeveloped land owned by the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, university police said Monday.

“We’ve decided that we’re going to go in and remove the violent offenders,” said Lt. Ben Velasco, referring to campsites in south Fayetteville.

UA police and leaders of local organizations helping the homeless spoke as part of a panel discussion at the Mid-America regional conference for the International Association of Campus Law

Enforcement Administrators.

Portions of some 50 acres owned by UA are populated by people living in tents amid the thickets. The site, over a mile from the main university campus, is near 7 Hills Homeless Center’s day center, which provides showers, food and other services for the area’s growing homeless population.

Velasco cited safety concerns raised by people within the homeless community.

“The chronically homeless, they call me,” Velasco said. “They’re asking me to get rid of the individuals out there selling and using methamphetamine, the ones that are breaking into their stuff and their property. They say they don’t feel safe sleeping at night.”

Steve Gahagans, director of UA police, told the Democrat-Gazette that a goal is to have regular patrols of the UA-owned property rather than react to “increasing reports” of problems.

But he said more community input is needed.

“Right now, we have just kind of strategized what we want to do. After we get that input, then we will decide how we’re going to proceed,” Gahagans told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, adding that he expects discussions to take place over the next few weeks.

The encampment site also is near the city’s Town Branch Trail, used by pedestrians and cyclists.

UA spokesman Steve Voorhies said in an email that the university is attempting the sell the undeveloped land, purchased to possibly add to the nearby Arkansas Research and Technology Park. The university bought a 31-acre lot in 2003 for $370,000 and a 25-acre lot for $250,000 in 2012, Voorhies has said.

ServeNWA, a nonprofit organization that has proposed building microshelters, has said it wants to buy some of the land.

“There have been ongoing negotiations with ServeNWA and the city about the properties, but so far nothing has been decided,” Voorhies said in an email.

At the conference, Jessica Andrews, chief executive officer for 7 Hills Homeless Center, said the organization sees “a lot of traffic” from the camps to its day center.

A recent “snapshot” count done in January for the region found about 406 people either staying in transitional housing, emergency shelters or, like those on the UA property, living without a fixed shelter.

“Really, that number is probably a lot bigger,” Andrews said, as left out were people without a home staying in a motel or taken in by friends.

The day center “is needed until we get everybody housed,” Andrews said. The organization operates some housing, including 16 dorms for individuals and three family units, as well as a program helping veterans find places

to live in the community. Andrews said the organization is looking at the services now offered to veterans, in hopes of expanding them to others needing help.

“If we’re really going to end homelessness, we need to focus on putting people into housing,” Andrews said.

Demand for temporary shelter is strong, said Josh Robinett, Northwest Arkansas commander for the Salvation Army, which he said can house 46 people in Fayetteville.

“Almost every night our shelters are at capacity,” Robinett said.

Angela Belford, board chairman of Northwest Arkansas Continuum of Care, spoke about the need for police to act with compassion, as well as the importance of organizations working together.

She said she is “100 percent in support of us cleaning up the violent people and doing drug enforcement.”

Velasco said challenges for university police include booby traps set near the campsites.

“If you don’t know what you’re looking for, it could severely injure, if not kill, an officer or a civilian,” Velasco said.

Gahagans said he thinks some officers are “very uncomfortable going into that environment.” He said internal UA police discussions have included whether officers need additional weapons and equipment such as boots.

“After we formulate the plan that we think might work, you’ve got to pause. Because we’ve got to bring in these other stakeholders to see, ‘Are you OK with this?’” Gahagans said.

Another issue is a lack of police staffing, Gahagans said. The UA Police Department has about 37 officers, Gahagans said — fewer than 1.5 officers per 1,000 students. If three officers are needed to respond to the homeless encampments, that can leave one officer to patrol the main campus, he said.

“The chronically homeless, they call me. They’re asking me to get rid of the individuals out there selling and using methamphetamine, the ones that are breaking into their stuff and their property. They say they don’t feel safe sleeping at night.”

— Lt. Ben Velasco